Haven
by Cookie Krisp
Summary: Leiko just wanted her Sweet 16 to be on a cruise in Lake Loch Ness. She never expected Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, to be real, nor for it to be Fuschia Island’s local Sea King.And she totally didn't expect to drown and wake up on said Fuschia Island.
1. Prologue: Drowning

**Author's Note: ** Haven is my first One Piece fanfic, so don't except everything to be correct. Also, I am only up-to-date with the anime, as I have not read the manga, so some of my One Piece information may not be completely correct. If not, please feel free to inform me of it, but if it interferes with the plot I have created, chances are I won't change it. The same applies to any information revealed by future One Piece episodes.

**Summary (Full Version)**:

Akiyama Leiko, a wealthy sixteen year old girl just wanted to celebrate her Sweet 16 on a nice, leisurely cruise on Lake Loch Ness. She never expected Nessie, the famed Loch Ness Monster, to be real, nor for it to actually be Fuschia Island's local Sea King. And she definitely didn't think Lake Loch Ness was secretly a portal to the One Piece world—though for Leiko, a one way trip only. So when Nessie sinks her ship, and Leiko is drowning in the waters of Lake Loch Ness, what is she to do when she is suddenly washed up on the shore of an unfamiliar island, in an unfamiliar ocean, in an unfamiliar world? And on top of that, she's in some random 6 year old girl's body. When Leiko said she wanted a Sweet 16 like never before, this was totally not what she meant.

**Disclaimer**_**: **_**I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

Keep in mind that this is the prologue, and the other chapters will probably not be this short.

Enjoy!

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**Prologue: Drowning**

The ship is sinking.

Water comes up to my knees. I slide into the wall as the ship tilts. I am below deck, running back to my room.

"Man overboard! Man overboard!" a muffled voice cries desperately from outside. As I sprint, I glance out a circular window, but it's too foggy to see anything.

The ship is in pandemonium. Passengers are screaming and scrambling to the life boats. I run in the opposite direction. Someone shoves me to the ground, but I get back on my feet and keep going.

The captain screams at us to calm down. He stands in front of the mob and blows his whistle, but the sound is lost in the midst of panic. He is ignored. Everyone tramples him like they did me.

A kind looking man asks me where I am going. He tells me everyone needs to get off the ship. I look him in the eye and say I am going to get my dog. He opens his mouth like he is going to say something, but before he gets the chance to, he is pushed away by a stampede of frantic people.

When I reach my room, the water is up to my neck. I wade through it, dragging my heavy limbs through the thick liquid. But when I thrust open the bulky, wooden door, Kota is not there. Do you think he dog paddled to safety?

I stare, wide-eyed at the vacant room. I am in a trance. I feel like that idiot fireman who ran all the way back into the house to save the pet, only to find that pet was already saved. The only difference is that I don't know if Kota _is_ safe.

Suddenly, my head is swallowed by the waves, pushed under the surface. I choke on the water, coughing and sputtering madly, but all I am doing is wasting oxygen. I have to break the surface.

I swim as fast as I can, but when I make it onto deck, I realize the whole ship is underwater. I clutch desperately at my throat, and then at my chest. I need to breathe. My lungs are going to explode. The surface is too far away.

I feel my conscious slipping from me. I am going to die today. I am going to die on my Sweet 16. I am going to die because I begged Mom and Dad to let me go to Britain and board a luxury cruise on Lake Loch Ness. Why didn't anyone tell me the notorious Loch Ness monster, Nessie, was real?

No one saw the dark figure that was Nessie lurking in the big cloud of fog before us. At least, not until the ship rammed straight into it. And then it was all chaos. Nessie turned on us and destroyed the ship. Water poured in. The boilers stopped working.

We were like the titanic, only Nessie was our iceberg. No one expected the S.S Lyne to sink. Not with her luxury rooms and steel bottom. S.S Lyne was supposed to be unsinkable.

I am in a daze. The lack of oxygen drains me of any energy I would have have left. I can't think straight. My limbs are heavy and numb. I can't move.

Suddenly, I see a dark shadow in the corner of my eye. I peer into the murky water beneath me, but the figure has vanished.

I sink deeper and deeper down into the lake. I wonder when I will reach the bottom. I am falling faster and faster. Water presses harshly against my skin, but I can't feel anything.

My vision blurs. Sharp edges blend with blurry contours and all the colors get mixed up. I feel _so sleepy_.

I see the dark shadow again, only this time it's right next to me. The figure is clear now. It is tremendous-- appallingly so. Its jaw opens wide to reveal a mouth full of the sharpest teeth I have ever seen. Its body is like an eels, but a gigantic, mutated one. The creature is stupendous, and yet so ghastly at the same time.

Is this Nessie?

I cower in her presence. Even in my lethargic state, I am able to sense the immense danger. I shrink away from her large, looming shadow, though it does no good to quell my fear.

I think about how wrong all those scientists are. Nessie is no dinosaur. Nessie is monster. A sea monster.

Nessie is not facing me anymore. Nessie is swimming down, down, down-- down like me.

Suddenly, Nessie's head vanishes. My eyes grow wide and my mouth falls open. Water rushes into my gaping mouth and stings my eyes, but the sight of a headless sea monster baffles me to the point of complete apathy.

I watch, astounded, as the seemingly headless creature continues to swim downwards. It is almost as if she is swimming through an invisible door. Gradually, Nessie's neck begins to dissipate, one inch at a time, until she becomes neck-less as well. Soon, the rest of her eel-like body follows.

That is weird, I think in my head. I must be imagining things. But then, as I sink lower, my hands start to disappear. Just like Nessie's.

I am dreaming, I tell myself. I am dead and I am dreaming. Or maybe I am going to heaven. Yes, my hand is disappearing and now my head is too, so I must be going to heaven.

Did Nessie go to heaven too?

I am confused. But then, as if to save me from the troubles to having to think about it, everything goes black. The murky lake water surrounding me is suddenly gone, in a quick flash of black light. My head feels like it has been swallowed up in a big bubble and is floating around in a vacuum of nothing. It is a weird feeling, and at first it is only my head, but then it spreads--through my neck, down my spine, and all the way down to the tips of my toes.

My thoughts slowly fade, my mind shutting down. I don't know what is happening, but suddenly I feel like I am being lifted. Pulled. Ripped out of my body.

And then I'm gone, just floating around like a lost cloud in a black, black sky. I am alone in this sky, wandering aimlessly in the colorless void. Time is non-existent—not in the fashion that it has ticked to a stop, but that there is no past or present or future here.

I don't know when or how or even _where_, but somewhere along the lines I _became _nothing—fading into the empty space around me. I was not dead. I was not alive. I was not anything. And yet, _somehow_, being nothing was not quite being nothing at all. Being nothing was still being _something_.

And perhaps that was how that bright, _bright_ blue light came to me, glittering like a fallen star in the distance. It was no 'light at the end of tunnel'—as there was no end to this void. It was merely a light in the middle of darkness.

It drew me in. The swirling ball of light was like a black hole, only it was a bright, cyan blue, shining at such intensity that the light was blinding.

The light enveloped my whole being, erasing the blackness around me until all was white. And then, in the blink of an eye, the white was gone and all I saw was a shimmering blue wave, looming over me.

The last thing I remember is the water crashing down on me, washing over my skin and under my clothes and into my mouth.

After that, everything went black.

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End of the Prologue.

Please Read and Review.

Flames are not welcome.

Constructive Criticism is greatly appreciated and will be taken into account.

P.S I do not care how stupid or short your reviews are, as long as you take the time to do it.

Have a nice day!

-Cookie Krisp


	2. Awakening

**Author's Note: ** And now I proudly present you, the first chapter of **Haven**! I apologize if the beginning is somewhat slow paced, or if you find one of the character's to be OOC. If there are any grammar errors, any tips and corrections will be appreciated.

**Disclaimer:****I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

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**Chapter 1: Wake**

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**...**

**...**

_**I hear something…**_

_**...**_

_**It's faint…**_

_**...**_

_**The ocean?**_

_**...**_

**_..._**

**_..._**

_**I'm cold…**_

_**...**_

_**The waves are getting louder…**_

_**...**_

_**Where am I?**_

_**...**_

**_..._**

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_**My skin feels rough…**_

_**...**_

_**…Sand?**_

**_..._**

**_..._**

**_..._**

_**I'm not sure of anything…**_

_**...**_

_**Wait!**_

_**...**_

_**…What's happening?**_

_**...**_

_**I'm drifting away…**_

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**_..._**

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**_..._**

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Everything hurts.

My head throbs like a hammer is bashing my skull. Grains of sand prickle and sting my eyes. I struggle to move my arms, but they are numb, and the feeling doesn't reach them. My legs are deadweights too. They don't move.

I cannot see. My eyes are closed—glued shut so tightly my attempts at opening them are in vain. My eye lids are so heavy, like ten-pound weights, weighing down on my eyes. All around me is black.

Black.

…Why do I feel like that should mean something to me?

If I could, I would tilt my head to the side, but I can't, because my head is immobile too. And even if I could move it, I'd be too afraid to. My head already feels like it's going to combust from the pounding in my temples, and I don't want to risk getting dizzy too.

My ears are clogged and sore, as if I'd gotten water in them. I can hear hushed murmurs and muffled sounds, but they are indistinguishable. I can't understand a word.

Frustration momentarily clouds my senses. Why can't I move? Why can't I see? Why can't I hear? I frown inwardly, displeasured by my current disabilities. My heart pounds a notch faster, pumping blood through my arteries and veins. Adrenaline filters through my body, giving me a boost of energy.

The adrenaline acts like caffeine. I am suddenly alert, no longer lethargic and exhausted. My mind feels keen and focused, the adrenaline having instantly cleared the thick haze from my mind. Gradually, my body begins to awaken from its strange, trance-like state.

And I see it.

I see it all. The adrenaline, the veins, the bones. My body—the inside of it. It's like I know what's happening underneath my skin.

I see each bone and tendon that made up the skeletal system. I watch my heart frantically pumping blood, and then the blood going off in two different ways.

The image reminds me of…an ultrasound image. Strange, huh?

A queasy feeling lodges itself in the pit of my stomach. I have never been one to like Health class at all, which is exactly why I'll never be a doctor. It's not like I'm one of those people that faints at the sight of blood, but hand me a lamb's eye and tell me to dissect it and I'll flip. I hate learning about body's, especially mine.

I spot bits of white plaque clinging to the walls of my arteries. I grimace inwardly at the revolting view. My insides lurch dangerously.

Damn myself for being so squeamish.

I gulp down the mouthful of bile that had forced its way up my throat.

Suddenly, a burning pain erupts from my throat. The surface feels raw, like it had been scraped bloody with sandpaper. My tongue thrashes wildly around my mouth, hurriedly rinsing it of the revolting taste of puke.

But the disturbing vision of my body is still there, like my own, personal TV that won't turn off. Of course, if it were a TV I could just pull the plug; but honestly, I don't think my brain has a plug, or even an on/off switch. It is times like these when I wish I were a robot.

Maybe if I focus on something else, I'll stop seeing the inside of my body.

I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, wracking my brain for something pressing enough to distract me. Pleasant thoughts never dwell long enough to be effective, so I figure something unpleasant will fare better.

Let's start with the fact that I don't know where I am, or how I got here. I also don't know why my body feels like I just got run over by a stampede of reindeers, and then burnt at the stake by a bunch of evil monkeys.

Where am I? How did I get here? Why can't I remember?

Suddenly, my head is a hundred times more painful than before. I bite back a sharp, painful gasp. My breathing turns into short, shallow rasps and my heart beats erratically in my chest.

My head hurts so much I wonder if I'm dying. I bet if I could actually move my body, I'd be thrashing around like a fish on land. On second thought, I'm a little glad I can't move. Wouldn't want to be mistaken as an escaped mental patient, now would I?

Muffled, quiet voices reach my water-logged ears. Normally, silence would be best for a headache, but mine seems to be unique, because the voices provide an instant relief.

I don't think I've ever been happier to hear someone's voice. Then again, I don't think I've ever had a killer headache that goes away when I hear voices either. God, I sound_ so_ mental.

I strain my ears, hoping to catch some of the conversation.

"…what's… beach…girl…?" someone murmurs.

The tone is hushed, only loud enough for me to catch small snippets. I can't tell if it's quiet because the person is doing it purposely, or if they are just far away. I can't even tell the gender of the speaker.

"Who…she…dead…injured?"

This is a different person speaking. It's difficult to differ between the two voices, but the change in pitch is prominent enough for even my clogged ears to notice.

I want to open my eyes. I want to see who was talking and see where I am and what I look like, and what happened to me. The desire is so strong I am flung into desperation. I grope for light, but beyond all the blackness is more blackness. I feel like I am drowning in a sea of black, and light is my oxygen. Is this what it's like to be blind? This suffocating black space?

Then, panic strikes. It hits me in the chest like a bullet, slowly sinking deeper into my skin until it has permanently lodged itself there. Without sight, I am vulnerable. I am a helpless, ignorant guinea pig under the gaze of a strong hawk stalking its prey. I cannot see, and if I can't see, then I won't know. I won't be able to see the burly, drunk man as he staggers towards me, or the infuriated grizzly bear looming over my body. I am the blind mouse as the cat pounces and tears at the flesh.

The voices fade off in the air, signaling the end of the conversation. If you ask me, that wasn't much of a conversation, but that probably has to do with the fact that I only heard, like three words. Unless I consider caveman talk as real conversations (which, I don't), I probably wouldn't accept it, and guess what, I don't.

Muffled thumps begin to fall in steady, heavy beats on the ground. I freeze, my muscles tensing up. I find myself dangerously aware of everything the thumps could be made by. My heart thuds loudly in my ears, and my breathing accelerates.

Calm down…I take a deep breath. Count to ten…Exhale…

The thumps grow louder and more blatant with each passing second. My sore attempts at soothing my jumpy nerves turn out to be in vain, as my brain won't stop churning with unrealistic theories. I can't stop imagining mythical creatures like Big Foot, or a mass murderer/kidnapper/Darth Vader man that will be pleased to finish me off. My mind scrounges up the many horror movies and newspaper articles with missing or dead teenagers mentioned in them.

_Don't be silly, _I chide, _why would there be a murderer out here? What are the chances of that? _

But my heart won't stop its frantic thuds and my palms won't stop sweating buckets. Thinking calmly and analyzing situations has never been an attribute of mine.

The thumps come to an abrupt stop. The—something is near. _Very _near. Their feet are planted beside my ear. I can feel a presence near my skin. My ear tingles and the hair on it stands straight up.

"Hey," a voice says. It's a male. Thank god it's a human. I don't know what I would do if it were an evil Pokémon or something.

"You okay?" the man asks.

The man's voice grows louder, like he's yelling in my ear. Okay, so he _is_ yelling in my ear, but whatever.

My eardrum rattles violently as I cringe at the loud sound. But his close proximity makes me realize something, and suddenly I'm not so sure it's a 'man'. I mean, I'm sure it's a male, but the voice is so high-pitched and lacking that deep, low quality of matured men that it _must_ be a child.

"Luffy!"And so the other voice makes its appearance. This time I listen carefully, as to not make any more mistakes. This one is young as well, but a few years older. His voice is deeper and throatier than the other voice.

I hear the shuffling and wrinkling of cloth. "Huh?" the younger boy asks.

The older one sighs. "What are you doing?"

I wonder if the younger one is his brother. He sounds like a little boy, and they do seem pretty comfortable with each other.

Again, I am angry at my lack of sight. Black and black and more black is all that extends in the empty void before me. I hate it more than I hate mushy peaches. And that's saying a lot, mind you.

A sharp pain in my ribs knocks me out of my thoughts. I suck in a deep breath, biting down hard on my lip to keep from screaming. My side aches and throbs, mercilessly leaving me to wallow in the immense pain.

Eventually, the pain dulls into numbness. Just as I allow myself to relax, the pain returns, just as harsh and cruel as before. It's like something is poking my ribs, only a billion times more painful.

Gradually, the poking thing starts to jab faster and harder and more painful until I'm biting down on my tongue so hard I think it might fall off. At first I'm not sure why I don't want to scream, but then I remember the raw, ripping pain in my throat from before, when I'd only been swallowing, and decide I don't ever want to experience what it would be like if I were screaming.

The poking doesn't seem to be stopping, and I don't think it's going to anytime soon, so I decide to focus on something else. You know, so maybe I'll be so distracted I'll forget about the pain. That seems kind of unlikely though, seeing as how I'm pretty much about to commit suicide by biting off my tongue and bleeding to death. But hey, it worked for the disgusting insides-of-body-ultrasound-like thingy from before.

The ground vibrates softly, and the _soft tap-tap-tapping_ of footsteps reaches my ears. By the time my mind manages to scrounge up the earlier memory the two boys' conversation, the footsteps have already stopped. What can I say; it's only a _little_ hard to concentrate when it feels like your being stabbed in the side with the blunt end of an object. Note my sarcasm.

"Stop poking her," a voice commands. My mind processes things faster this time, and is quick to connect this voice with the earlier one belonging to the older boy of what I assumed to be the older brother.

Hold on…poking? What's he talking about? I'm not being poked, I'm being bloody _stabbed_!

Suddenly, the painful jabs stop. I am so relieved that I almost forget to wonder how 'poking' could feel that much like 'stabbing'. _Almost_.

Inwardly, I frown. My thoughts are all swirled and jumbled up together, and I have no clue what's going on. I feel so stupid, lying here, immobile, clueless, and pretty much half dead. At least, I think I'm half dead. I don't know. Maybe I'm lying in bed at a hospital with an IV needle in my side, and all of this is a really weird dream. Or maybe I'm locked up in some mental institute, thrashing around on a white bed, while screaming hysterically about poking and stabbing things.

Normally, I'd pick the one that makes the most sense, but lately, nothing has been making much sense at all. I'm not even sure which one is the most possible. With the way things are going right now, I'd say me growing white feathery wings, flying up into the sky, then crashing into a rainbow painted on a window and falling on top of a dinosaur, just_ might_ be possible.

Or maybe I'm just crazy.

Yeah, I think I'll go with that.

"But she won't wake up," the younger voice whines. "Is she dead?"

She? Is he talking about _me_?

Well, if he is, I'm not _dead_. Maybe I'm, like,_ half_ dead, but not _totally_ dead. I'd tell him that too, if only I wasn't afraid of my words coming out as a bunch of mice squeaks.

Beside my ear, there is the distinct sound of wrinkling clothes and scuffling feet. A slight breeze tickles my ear, and that actually feels good for a second—that is, before I start feeling sand or something getting inside.

A slight pressure is applied to the right side of my chest. The motion is gentle and light in a way that reminds me of a nurse patiently listening for the soft thumping of a heart.

I wonder what it is. I mean, it _can't_ be one of the boys checking for a heartbeat, no matter how similar the motion is, because, obviously, my heart is on the left side of my chest, not the right. And since it's evidently not that, I have no idea what he is doing.

A few moments of silence pass, in which my ears pick up the sound of rolling waves crashing down on the shore and a seagull cawing overhead, before the weight is repositioned into a different area. More silence ensues, and I can almost feel a frown forming on one of the boy's faces. Slowly, the pressure removes itself from my chest.

"I...," the older boy pauses, gulping, "I can't find her heartbeat."

…

Oh, come _on_. You have _got_ to be kidding me. I mean, _seriously_, what kind of idiot thinks your heart is on the **right side** of your chest, when it's really on the **left**?

Before I know it, or even _realize_ it, my chest is filled with a warm bubbly feeling that keeps rising and rising until it reaches the tip of my throat, where it erupts into a strong tickling feeling. The tickling feeling keeps growing and growing until I can't stop it anymore. I try to pin it down and muffle it, but it's like it's contagious. It keeps spreading and spreading until my whole body is enveloped in the fuzzy feeling.

Suddenly, I can't seem to hold the feeling back anymore, and then, it's like, _whoosh_ out of my mouth. And then I'm so busy trying to figure out what the heck that was, that the last strings of control I have over my body are snipped, and I lose complete control.

I feel my vocal chords stretching, and then contracting again. A wonderful, satisfying gush of air fills my lungs until they can't hold anymore, before it floods back out in a loud gust. My chest is rising up and down in time with my breaths. My sides start to cramp up.

High-pitched peals of laughter fill the air around me. For a second, I wonder who they belong to, until I feel that horrid, painful ripping in my throat, and know it's me. The laughs are strong and loud, they seem to linger in the quiet atmosphere.

But the laughs are so different, so strange sounding compared to how I normally sound when I laugh. I wonder if it's just because of my sore throat, or if it's something more. Somehow, though, I don't really think a sore throat can tinker with my voice box _that_ much. Besides, I thought voices were supposed to get lower, and raspy. Sure, my laughs have a low raspy quality to them if you listen carefully, but above all that, my voice has gotten high-pitched and dainty sounding.

I don't know about you, but by the time my laughs start sounding like some bloody fairy laugh in Sleeping Beauty, I think I've gone just a _little_ bit coo-coo.

My laughs have yet to sub-side. If anything, I think they've gotten to the verge of being called hysterical. The emotion is over-taking me and it's clogging my ears and my brain and is blurring my other senses.

Suddenly I don't know who I am, or where I am, or why I'm even laughing to begin with. All I know is that I'm laughing and laughing and laughing so hard I can hardly breathe. My sides feel like they're going to fall off.

My head starts to spin dangerously and I feel a bit tipsy. I wonder if I'm drunk. Maybe I am. Maybe that's what happened. Maybe I'm drunk and I'm imagining all this crazy, wacko stuff.

Slowly, my laughs taper off into small giggles, before quieting into silence. It takes me a moment to regain control and then another to clear my head, so it's no wonder the awkward silence doesn't bother me. I'm too busy wrapped up in my own head, trying to figure out what the hell that was to care about anything else.

"Zombie!" the younger boy suddenly yells.

The voice shakes me out of my thoughts. Zombie? What's he _talking_ about? There are no zombies.

Wait a second, why did he actually sound eager when he said that? Isn't the concept of zombies supposed to scare little kids? I am only a _little _concerned for his sanity.

Seriously. At the moment, I'm more concerned for _mine._

"W-what the…" the older one mumbles.

I swallow painfully and draw up the courage to say something. "Who…?" My voice cracks at the end.

My throat burns like a raging fire in the Sahara desert. I feel like whipping my hands up to my throat with a grip so hard I'll choke myself, and hopefully put out that fire too. But I don't, because I can't (uh…_hello?_ My arms _won't move_.), and also, choking myself isn't high on my to-do list for right now.

The older boy chuckles. "Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?"

I don't reply. My reasons for that are, one, because I don't know how to answer that, and two, because now I totally regret ever trying to use my voice. I don't ever want to go through that again.

There is a long stretch of silence. I'm not sure about the other boy, but it's kind of making me antsy. I wonder if he's waiting for me to say something.

If he is, then that's just too bad. I'm not insane enough to want to talk if the price is _that_.

"Are you a zombie?" The younger boy finally says. I hear a hollow _Bong!_ "Ow! What was that for?"

I try not to smirk as I imagine the image of an older brother whacking his younger sibling on the head. It is rather entertaining, especially with the hollow sound effect added. I guess the younger one's head really_ is_ empty. I have to admit, he _is _kind of strange. Even for a kid.

"…You're bloody." The older one declares after a moment.

Bloody? What's he talking about?

Well, _I'm _certainly not bloody. At least, I don't _think_ so. Actually, I don't know. _Gr-eat_, now he's got me doubting myself.

I feel compelled to ask whether he's talking to his brother, or me, but quickly stomp that interest out. Talking is not good.

Great, now that I know that, why can't I seem to remember it? You'd think that with all the pain its put me through I'd remember it clear as day, but talking is so natural that I guess it overrides that.

"Why won't you open your eyes?" That was the younger one. "Are you sleeping?"

Kid, if I was sleeping, do you think I would have been hyena laughing, like, two minutes ago?

One of them sighs heavily. I can't tell which one—my hearing isn't_ that_ good (not that it ever was, but still). "Can you move?"

I stay silent, biting my lip. I'm not even going to _bother_ trying to communicate telepathically anymore. My head is hurting and it's totally not worth the effort. I think it's easier for both of us, if he just answers his own questions. Actually, that's only better for me, but hey, it's not like I actually _care._

"I guess that's a no," he continues after he realizes I'm not going to say anything. "I want to sleep."

_…And?_

These boys are weird. Like, _really_ weird. Like, they-belong-in-an-asylum weird. Actually, I am that type of weird too. Wait; are there even _types_ of weird? Oh god, I'm so confused. At least now I know that if I ever have to go to an asylum I'll have someone to drag along with me

"If I leave you here, you'll die."

Well, how _kind _of him to be so considerate.

"So, I'm going to carry you."

There is an awkward silence in which my heart ceases to beat, before I am brought back to reality.

. . . Uh, dude, he's not going to carry me. He's like, what, 8? And I'm _16_. Big difference, no? And unless he's superman (in which case I will make sure to get his autograph), or I'm anorexic (I'm not), that's not going to be happening.

Strong arms slide underneath my back and suddenly I'm being lifted off the ground.

My breath catches in my throat and I let out a small squeak of protest. My throat is raw but I ignore it. My back is burning and burning and burning like I'm being toasted alive by a bonfire. The boy's arm against my back is painful—so painful that all I know is that I need to get down—_now_.

In all my panic, I even manage to scrounge up the strength to struggle and flail my arms around wildly.

My arm hits something that's kind of bumpy, but soft. I pause mid-kick and turn my head towards the thing that I hit, but since my eyelids are still a billion pounds and I apparently do not have strong eye muscles, I cannot see anything.

"Ow!" the boy hisses. I feel him against my stomach as he bends down over my body, so his hand can reach his face. At least, I think. I mean, it kind of felt like a nose that I hit. Is it wrong for me to hope I broke it?

"Put…me….down!" I croak. My voice is raspy, but still high-pitched--totally unlike mine, and on top of that, I sound like a frog, but I don't care. (Actually, frogs are better than those crazy Disney fairies but that's beside the point). I just want him to let me down.

The boy fumbles with my body for another moment, before straightening up. He shifts so one of his arms is resting underneath the back of my knees and the other is supporting my back.

Immediately I feel better. This new position is easy on my back, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt anymore. Of _course _it still hurts, I mean,_ duh_. Something that hurts that much is not going to just go _poof!_ and disappear.

I feel myself rising even farther away from the ground. I assume he is standing up.

I still want him to put me down.

"No." He declares shortly, but firmly. I feel his hold tighten on me before he tilts his head back towards where his brother is standing (I think). "Luffy! Come on, we're going back to Makino's!"

What a jerk! My face forms into a scowl. I even asked him _nicely_ (okay, maybe not, but still) to put me down, and what does he do? He refuses!

Blood rushes to cheeks in anger. My fists clench and then unclench, and I have to remind myself to stay calm. I take a deep breath and hold it for ten seconds. Actually, it was closer to 5 seconds, because I started to feel like I was lacking oxygen and I had to breathe. What are those yoga/undercover anger management people trying to do? Get me to suffocate myself doing 'calming' breathing exercises?

I guess I'm not very good at that kind of stuff.

I take another minute to calm down. When I'm done, I still don't feel calm, but then again, I guess I'm as calm as someone can be, when they're in an unfamiliar place, being carried to an unfamiliar house, by an unfamiliar boy, that's, like, 8 years younger and is still able to carry you.

…Okay, I've got to slow down there. I don't think all of this thinking is doing anything other than making me panic.

I have got to get this all sorted out. Maybe then I'll actually be able to think and not get a crazy headache. Right, so let's start with names. I mean, I can't just go around calling people 'Older brother', and 'Younger brother'. Actually, I could, but that sounds funny, so I'd rather not.

I wrack my brain, mentally replaying the conversations the boys had had. Oh…didn't the older one say something about a Luffy and a Makino? Yeah…he did, didn't he? I think that was when I was ranting at him for not listening to a ladies command. Maybe if I'd paid more attention I would have saved myself the migraine I have right now.

But there's no use getting caught up in the past. Since I obviously wasn't listening very hard to him earlier, I guess I'll have to use the Process of Elimination that my third grade teacher taught me. Now that I think about it, it sounds kind of evil, what with the elimination thing. It sounds like I'm going to going to use some kind of process that eliminates people.

Great, now I'm getting off track

. So, if I use the Process of Elimination like I had to do on that Pre-SAT for multiple choices, I get that Luffy is a boy's name, and Makino is a girl's name. Actually, I don't get how the Process of Elimination comes into play here. There are only two names to match up with two people, and I didn't eliminate any options. So basically, I just spent, like, 5 minutes thinking about something that was completely irrelevant. Now I feel stupid.

Anyway, Luffy is a boy's name, so it must be the name of the younger brother, and Makino is a girl's name, so it must be…the other person's name. Hold on, I don't even know what the older brother was talking about when he mentioned 'Makino'.

What? Don't look at me like that. It's not_ my_ fault I wasn't listening.

Suddenly, the ground under me starts to move. I squeak and my arms fly up, blindly grasping whatever is there to support me. Oh, crap, I almost forgot. The older bro is carrying me, so I guess he does have to walk to get somewhere.

But still, does he have to walk so…_bumpily_? I mean, every time he steps I feel like he's going to drop me and then I'm going to die (how, I don't know, I just know I will).

The boy starts walking again and my body stiffens in fright. Yeah, okay, so maybe my fear is a little irrational, but if you really think about it, it's not. He's 8 (I think), and I'm 16. I'm, like 120 pounds (hey, I'm not fat; I'm just tall, 'kay?). How is that going to work? Even if he's carrying me right now, how long can he go on without dropping me?

My squeeze my eyes shut as tight as they can go and am delighting when my hands find something to latch on to. I feel cloth under my fingers as I wrap them tightly around what I can assume is a shirt.

"Calm down," he says, lightly chuckling. My grip tightens. Care to tell me what is so funny about the situation right here? "I'm not going to drop you."

Uh, yeah, and pigs are going to fly. Wait, I take that back. I don't want to jinx myself.

I can practically feel his gaze boring holes in my head, but I ignore it. Hey, _he_ ignored _me _when_ I_ asked him to put me down, so why can't I ignore him?

"Hey," he urges. "Come on, you can trust me."

My eyes squeeze shut tighter. I'd trust Hitler over this kid any day.

"I promise."

Oh promise-_shumowise._ I don't _care _buddy! I don't, won't, and never will trust you enough to let you drop me!

"Please?" he pauses, but I don't react. "At least lighten your death grip on my shirt before you start ripping holes in it."

Another moment passes, before I hear him let out an exasperated sigh. For a second I'm a little scared he's really going to drop me, but he only shifts me so I'm leaning against his stomach.

At first, all I can think about is how high the possibility of him dropping me is, but then he starts walking again, and I feel one-hundred times more assured than before. I'm not sure if it's because I have something to lean on, or if just the concept of being close to someone soothes my nerves, but slowly, I feel my tense muscles relaxing.

I allow my head to bob up and down with each step he takes. The steady beat of his footsteps falling onto the ground is certainly no lullaby, but as exhausted as I am now, I'm sure _anything _could put me to sleep.

When the tenseness in my muscles has completely diminished, my hands have unclenched and fallen limp to my sides. My head keeps bobbing until it lolls to the side and just kind of stays there, resting against the boy's chest. My mind is clouded over in a thick haze that dulls my senses.

After that, it's all just a blur of confusing memories that I don't happened, or were dreams. Everything is so clouded and vague. It's like it's clumped together in a loose knot, that I can't seem to get undone, because I can't tell where the end of one memory is and where the start of a dream is. That's how I can tell I'm probably not going to remember any of this when I wake up.

All I know for sure is that the last thing I hear is the boy's voice, cutting straight through the thick haze that enveloped my mind like the strong flap of a bird's wings as it soars through the sky.

"Names Ace, just so you know," he says.

I snort. Like I really care.

And then it all goes black.

* * *

End of Chapter 1.

Please review! It makes me so happy to know what you guys think about my story.

Consructive critisism is deeply appreciated.

I do not like flames.

...Click the Review button...

-Cookie Krisp


	3. A Strange New Place

**Author's Note: ** Here is the second chapter of **Haven**. Again, I like constructive criticism and reviews and praises to inflate my ego, but I do not like flames. I will try to update on a regular schedule.

**P.S** - Leiko has never read One Piece before, nor has she even heard of it. In other words, she knows nothing about the world or the inhabitants of it.

**Disclaimer**: **I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Rest**

Fire…something's burning…it's crackling…

My eyes snap wide open. My body jerks forward and my head quickly follows. My head is spinning and nauseous throbs envelope my brain. Tiny beads of cold sweat crawl down my skin in a wet, sticky trail. I start to breathe fast and quick, and my heart thumps loudly to keep up.

My eyes are met with the sight of an unfamiliar room. My alarmed gaze sweeps the room, frantically searching for the scorching flames that are sure to spread like a disease. I feel my hands tightly clenching into tiny balls, but I never feel my fingernails digging into my palms. I glance down quickly, and see my fingers are wrapped around the edge of a blanket. I see the blood circuit getting cut off of the white tips of my fingers.

That's when I realize I have to calm down.

I inhale deeply and close my eyes, counting. I allow my fingers to gradually loosen their hold with each of my steady breaths. My back slowly lowers back onto the strange couch I am on, and I throw and arm over my eyes to block the light. I patiently wait for my head to stop spinning, while I enjoy the soothing blackness.

When my heart has stopped racing, I sit back up and reluctantly open my eyes. Light floods my vision, and I have to squint my eyes because of all the blurry blobs and strange colored dots that obscure my sight.

When I am finally able to see correctly, I exhale slowly and take a look around the room.

The room is small and dim-lighted. I look over to where the orange light is coming from and see the fireplace crackling with flames. I stare, mesmerized by the burning incense and the beauty of it all, and then almost laugh at how stupid I was being to think the house was burning down.

Seriously, I need to get a hold of myself. Pretty soon, I'll be thinking the water in the sink is a flood that's going to drown us. Maybe I should start considering a mental institution instead of a college. Do you think I could Major there?

The room has a bunch of shelves lined up against the walls with various knick-knacks left on display. There is a collection of photos and souvenirs in the center. A lot of the pictures consist of a big group of strangely dressed men laughing and partying in some kind of traditional bar. The men are really funny looking.

In one picture, there is even this man with a really, really long-nose—kind of like Pinocchio. I wonder if he lies a lot, and if that's why his nose is that way. Or maybe it's just crazy genetics. Either way, I'll have to make sure I cut back on the lying. _I _don't want to end up that way.

Upon closer inspection, I realize there is this one red-headed dude with a straw hat on, who seems to be in almost every picture. He's got this cool looking grin on and I guess he really likes beer or something 'cause he seems to be drinking it a lot.

Also in the pictures is a small boy with black hair that looks very childish. I see him yelling at the red-head man and the red-head man grinning back in a couple of snapshots. I wonder if the two knew they were being photographed.

I glance over the pictures again, and notice one that seems to be a group picture, where they all actually know there's a camera pointed at them. In this picture, there are two new people. One is a boy that looks like the small boy, only older, more mature, and with freckles. The other is a pretty lady with short, dark green hair tied in a barrette. She's standing behind the bar counter and cleaning a glass with a cloth. A kind smile is spread across her face.

I smile a little at the pictures. There's a real homey feeling to them, and they seem to capture the feeling of the moment they were taken.

"You're awake."

I jump, startled. My head snaps in the direction of the voice.

A boy is leaning against an open doorway, his hands in his pockets. He has shaggy black hair and freckles sprinkled across his nose. I recognize him as the older boy in the group picture. His voice rings a bell in my head, tugging at distant memories in my head. I wrack my brain for more, but come up with nothing.

"Um, yeah," I say, my eyes diverted to the ceiling. That always happens when I start thinking.

"Feeling better?" He shifts and straightens his back.

Just as he asks that, I wonder, am I feeling better? Better than before? I try to remember what before was, but it's all blurry and nothing's clear. It's like I'm trying to look at a movie screen through murky water.

My head starts throbbing, or maybe it already was, and I just noticed it. My hands fly up to my head, gripping the sides tightly. It doesn't soothe the pain, but somehow, I feel like I can stop the nauseous spinning by holding my head steady in my hands.

I shut my eyes tight. Maybe if I block out the light, the pain will stop. Maybe it's one hell of a migraine and the light is literally killing me. Somehow, I don't really think that's the reason, but hey, I'm desperate here.

"I guess not, then," the boy says, sounding slightly amused.

Sadist.

I'm thinking about going over there and punching his face in. I swear there is nothing funny about this.

I start to swing my legs over the side, when my rib suddenly feels like it's piercing my gut. I inhale sharply, my eyes snapping open from the pain. My arms withdraw from my head to wrap around my center, like I'm trying to keep myself together. The pain in my ribs is sharp and cutting, and it's almost as if it will slice right through my skin.

Suddenly, the boy is at my side, pushing me back onto the couch.

"Hey, hey," he urges, panic tinting his tone. "You're still hurt. Go back to sleep. You need it."

Okay, I have no idea what he's talking about. Yeah, I know I need sleep. I mean, everyone needs sleep, and hopefully sleep will rid me of this horrid migraine. But me, hurt? Since when?

I groan quietly as he sets my legs back on the couch and places the blanket, which I somehow kicked onto the floor, back over me. My ribs still feel like they're trying to stab me from the inside out, and my head hurts like hell. Or maybe worse. I don't know. I've never been to hell.

I hear the boy sigh and stand up. His footsteps slowly fade off into the distance until I can't hear them anymore. Silence fills the air, and I feel entirely alone, with only the crackling of the fire to keep me company.

I try to lose myself into the blackness, but I can't. The pain keeps me awake, like a string connecting me to my body, not allowing my mind to slip away. A grimace spread across my face. Someone please tell me how it can be so hard to fall asleep.

I start to flip over onto my stomach and roll around, repositioning myself. I'd never really liked sleeping on my back. My side had always seemed to bring more comfort. Or maybe it was just that I liked to cuddle things in my sleep, and it's kind of hard to do that when you're sleeping n your back.

_That's_ when it occurs to me how weird it is that my feet aren't _touching_ the end of the couch. Dude, I'm 16, 5'9, and my feet are not even _skimming_ the other end of a couch. Either this is a really, _really_ long couch, or I'm hallucinating.

Yep, I'm hallucinating.

I'm not sure how someone can make themselves fall asleep, other than to make themselves faint, so I just lie there on the couch, staring into the blackness behind my lids. It's so boring I start counting those sheep people say help you sleep. I think it only helps because it's so boring it makes you tired.

But this isn't working, and it's getting really monotonous, so I start imagining funny looking sheep like in those animal cartoons. You know, the ones where there are these animal characters (in this case, sheep) that stand on two feet like people, and wear hip clothes and sunglasses that make them look ridiculous.

Okay, yeah, so I decide to conjure up a whole herd of those, and then imagine them jumping over the fence. Only this time some of them smash headfirst into it and have to go to the end of the line. And yes, there is a line. There's a teacher too, you know, a _goat_ teacher (not a sheep) that's yelling at them to go to the end of the line.

While I do this, I start thinking about how there technically is no end of a line. I mean, don't lines go on forever and ever and never end?

I think I learned that in fourth grade geometry. Back then, I used to question whether or not I'd actually be able to use the information. Well, look at where I am now, lying on a couch thinking of sheep, while also thinking of math. My teacher should be proud. I mean, I'm totally multitasking, and doing geometry too. It's math magic!

….This is boring.

Oh look, the one hundred sheep already finished jumping over the fence. Now the goat teacher is yelling at them, but they just keep running off into the sunset. It's kind of funny how the goat teacher isn't yelling at them to stop, but instead yelling at them to keep going. I wonder why.

Oh, wait, never mind. They all just burnt up because they skipped too far towards the sunset. I guess the goat teacher really hated them. Do you think he'll invite me to their funeral party? Maybe he'll give me candy.

On second thought, I hope he doesn't. He might make _me_ jump over that fence, in which case I will end up in a coma with a concussion. I'll probably crash head-first into the fence because I'm just that bad at jumping. And if he doesn't do that, he will eat that candy right in front of me.

….Okay, I think I'll go to sleep now (I mean, I'll try harder to, anyway)

This time I wake up to my stomach growling. At first, I think it's a lion and start to prepare myself for a showdown, but then I look around the room, remember where I am, and realize there is no lion. I put down my shoe and sigh in disappointment. I actually wanted to fight, damn it.

Well, at least my head doesn't hurt anymore.

Much to my dismay, however, the boy from before isn't in my room. I know he told me his name before, but I can't remember it, or when he told me. All I know is that at the time I was really, really sleepy and my head was kind of bobbing around or something. Do you think I'm getting old age memory loss?

Looking around the room, I start to frown. I don't know where I am, and since this is obviously a stranger's home, I don't want to intrude. Actually, I am already intruding, since I am inside, but that doesn't count, since I didn't invite myself here. Someone carried me…I think. I don't know. I can't remember.

I let out a big sigh and stand up. The blanket falls off my lap and onto the floor. I look down at it and sigh again. Normally, I would never pick it up, but since none of this can be described as normal, I guess I'll fold it.

I bend over and start to fold the blanket in perfect squares. When I finish, I straighten up and place it on the red couch. Then, I glance at the doorway, wondering whether I should just go and explore it myself, or sit on the couch some more and wait for someone to come by.

I pick I go explore. I'm afraid that if I sit here for 1 more nanosecond doing nothing, I'll end up fantasizing about eating those crazy fence-jumping sheep. Then I'll become crazier than I already am. I think I like my sanity the way it is, thank you very much.

I stare up and down the hallway. It's narrow and long, with a bright light bulb hanging in the middle. It's suspended in the air by this rusty, thin chain that sways dangerously likes it's going to fall any moment now. Gazing up at it, I wonder if that thing is safe. It's probably not, and I happen to like my brain cells, so I think I'll proceed with caution when I have to walk under it. It better not fall on my head. If it does, I will sue, I swear.

I tip-toe down the hall cautiously, trying not to trip and fall over anything. If I do, then there will be a big thud, which might be the end of my adventure, partly because someone might hear me and come running, but mostly because the light might drop on my head and kill me.

When I get to the dangling light, I press myself against the wall and slowly scoot away. I reach the end of the hall and exhale slowly.

Peering around the corner, I see a bright colored kitchen with a small, circular table in the center. There is a wooden counter with a stove, oven, and sink on it, as well as a small, white refrigerator in the corner. The floor is tiled with white, square tiles that sparkle when the light hits them. Somehow, I feel like ever since I woke up, everything's been super-sized. How weird is that?

Luckily for me, there are no dangerous lights in this room. There are two lights attached, quite firmly to the ceiling. Ouch, that hurts my eyes. I guess I should stop looking at them.

Hey_, wait_ a _second_. Why is the ceiling so high up? It's like, 20 feet above me, and this is a _kitchen_, not a _ballroom_.

"I see this time, you really are better."

I jerk backwards, surprised. My head bangs against the wall loudly, and I swear my skull cracked it hurts so bad.

Hissing in pain, I wince and kneel to ground on my knees. My head starts to spin like I'm doing one of those crazy ice skating turns I've seen on TV.

"Hey," the boy says, kneeling down beside me. "You okay?"

I moan and clutch my pounding head in my hands. I think this boy is trying to kill me. I hope that light falls on him.

He frowns, "Should I get an ice pack?"

I stay silent, mentally willing him to burn in hell. Okay, so maybe he doesn't deserve that and maybe I am being a little too harsh on him (he's like, 8, I mean, _come_ _on_), but seriously, he made me lose brain cells that I totally needed, so he should pay for them.

Do you think I should ask for a fine from him? Maybe I'll ask him to pay for my brain cells' funerals, and then I'll just take that money and build myself a mansion. Story of my life. Not.

But right when he starts to get me an ice pack, and I'm about to open my mouth and demand for money, my stomach growls loudly. Unlike last time, it actually sounds kind of pitiful, like a dying cow, although I have no idea how that sounds. The point is, it's no angry lion anymore, and my stomach is starting to become very painful to me.

Actually, it's already very painful and has grown to the point where it hurts more than my head. Dear god, what did I ever do to deserve this?

At first, the boy seems amused, but then he looks at me and frowns worriedly. I think my stomach pains are reaching him telepathically.

He starts to turn and walk towards the refrigerator in the kitchen. "..I'll get you an ice pack," he says hesitantly.

"No," I groan, extending my arm and grabbing the end of the boy's shorts. "No ice pack." I pause as thought crosses my mind. "I mean no ice pack unless I can eat the ice."

He turns his head towards me, raising an eyebrow. "Hungry?"

Um, no duh. That _totally_ wasn't my stomach growling 2 seconds ago.

I glare at him and release his shorts. Pulling his shorts down started to get rather tempting, but I decided I'd better be nice if I wanted food.

"Yeah," I say. "Get me some food or something."

He saunters lazily into the kitchen and opens the fridge, pulling something or other out. Come on, my eye sight's not _that_ good.

I stand up, brushing off my butt. Suddenly, my butt feels _really_ uncomfortable, like thousands of tiny grains of sand are scratching me. Oh yeah, _now_ I remember. I _was _lying on the beach or something before, right? I tilt my head to the side, my eyes studying the ceiling. But the real question is…why was I there? How did I get there?

My head starts throbbing again, so I quickly stumble into the kitchen and try to collapse onto a chair at the table, but find that for some reason, it's too high up. I have to place my hands, which strangely seem very small and uncoordinated, and hoist myself up. My legs dangle in the air below me, my feet not even grazing the ground.

Dude, I'm 5'9, and everything in this house towers over me, including the annoying boy. I feel like I've just landed myself in Giant world.

I lean forward and rest my head against the table, relishing the soothing coolness of the table against my burning forehead.

I wonder what's wrong with me. Maybe I have brain trauma or something. Amnesia, maybe? Nah, I know my name and how old I am and where I was born and who my friends were and all that crazy stuff, so that_ can't_ be it.

A delicious smell drifts towards my nose. It's sweet and warm, but also with a sour twinge to it. My stomach rumbles again, another starved plea of desperation. Drool starts to fill my mouth, but I swallow it quickly.

A hand pats my head gently and I open my eyes. I sit up slowly to make sure the headache doesn't come back, and then turn and face the boy.

"Here," he says, grinning. He places a plate, and a glass filled with milk down in front of me and then hands me a fork.

The plate is filled with an assortment of various food items that look suspiciously like microwaved leftovers (not that I'm complaining). There is some beef and chicken, along with white rice and a lemon. I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do with the lemon, but I figure I'll save it for last anyway.

"Thank you," I say, never taking my eyes away from the meal.

I don't spare another moment, gripping the fork and plunging into the food. The rice tastes kind of old and the chicken half-cooked, but somehow, it still tastes like the best meal I have ever eaten in my whole life.

Before I know it, the food is gone, replaced by a white, empty plate with a lone lemon on it. Swallowing the last remains, I reach over and grab the milk glass, chugging it down in one gulp.

Seated beside me, the boy is watching with amusement. It is then that I realize that for unknown reasons, he is taller than me. I am literally, like a head shorter than him or more. He doesn't even have to climb onto the chair like I did! And he's only eight. You don't know how wrong this is. He looks between the content looking me, and then the lonely looking lemon with a raised eyebrow.

"Not eating the lemon?" he asks, his fingers twitching. I think he is thinking about taking my lemon.

I glare at his hand. "I will eat it."

"Oh, okay then," he replies, looking slightly disappointed.

No way, bud. Get your own lemons.

Before he decides to change his mind and steal it anyway, I quickly grab the lemon and stick it in the mouth. The sourness makes me pucker slightly, but I am actually a fan of lemons, and therefore eat them like this a lot, so it doesn't bother me too much. When I was kid, I used to walk around all the time with a lemon in my mouth so I could suck on it instead of gum. Yeah, I hated gum. I was a weird kid.

"So," I say, trying to make conversation. "Where am I?"

"Makino's," he answers, like I'm really supposed to know who that is.

"Who's that?" I ask impatiently.

"A woman that owns a bar around here."

I frown. There are too many questions swirling around in my head, and I'm just too confused to figure any of them out myself.

"Where is here?" I finally ask.

He stares at me strangely. "You don't know?"

I glare at him. Am I _supposed_ to know? "Would I be asking you if I knew?"

He shrugs. "This is Fuschia Village, on Dawn Island, a small island in East Blue."

Now I'm really confused. What is he talking about? East Blue? Dawn Island? Where the heck is that?

"East Blue?"

The boy frowns at me. "You don't know East Blue?"

I shake my head, feeling stupid. How am _I _supposed to know all this? As far as I know there is no such thing as Fuschia Village, or Dawn Island, or East Blue. Whatever happened to good old Tokyo, Japan?

"…Do you have amnesia or do you just live under a rock?"

Neither. But I think I'll lie and say I have amnesia so he doesn't think I'm completely retarded. I hope I don't grow a Pinocchio nose. Well, I guess I can be a little truthful…

"I can't really remember anything," I say, scratching my head. My hair feels really dirty and tangled, kind of like a rat's nest only worse and with a lot of sand in it too.

"Amnesia then?" he asks, leaning forward.

"I don't know," I shrug. Hey, this lying thing is pretty easy. Uh yeah, let's forget the fact that I'm not really lying about anything…yet.

"Interesting," he mumbles, leaning back.

"Um, okay…" I trail off, somewhat disturbed.

"What do you remember?" he asks.

I study the ceiling, listing off various facts about my life. "Well, I have a dog named Kota, a mom, a dad, um…." I pause, thinking, "I like to write, read adventure books, and eat."

Wow, I made myself sound like a nerd.

"Do you know where you live?"

Well, yeah, of course I know, but I'm not going to risk a trip to the mental hospital. If he thinks there some place called East Blue and I think there's some place called the Atlantic Ocean, I'm pretty sure one of us is completely mental. I'm just making sure it's not me.

I grimace. "No," I lie.

The boy looks like he's going to spout off another annoying question that I'm going to have to lie about, so I decide to intervene.

"Do you think I could take a shower or something?" I ask, feeling a bunch of sand bunched up in places I shall not mention.

"Sure," he says, standing up. "Stay here. I'll set it up."

* * *

End of Chapter 2.

Please, please, please review! It makes my whole day better!

-Cookie Krisp


	4. Thinking

**Author's Note**: Here is this week's update! This one is kind of boring and really, really slow-paced, but it's important because Leiko fins a lot of stuff out. My apologies for any grammer mistakes.

**Disclaimer:I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Thinking**

"Here." The boy hands me a towel and a pile of clothes. "Need anything else?"

I look down at the clothes. Supposedly, they were from this "Makino" person, whoever the hell they are. I just know Makino is a girl. At least, I think. I mean, since the boy gave me Makino's clothes, and they are girl's clothes, I am going to assume Makino is a girl. But you never know, she could be a cross dresser. Or a tranny. Or both.

"No," I reply, stepping into the bathroom.

The bathroom is a small, white room with a counter, a sink, a toilet beside it, and a mirror hung above the counter. Shower curtains with tiny pirate pictures painted on it are pulled aside to reveal the white bath tub, with three shelves in it. One shelf has a soap bar on it, and the others have bottles of shampoo and conditioner. At the end of the shower is a rack to hang towels on.

"Oh," he suddenly says, "and you can use that scrubber there if you need it."

I look over at where he's pointing. A blue, ball shaped scrubber sits on the granite countertop near the sink. Next to it, is a container with a bunch of toothbrushes in it. I notice one has pirates on it. Someone in his household really likes pirates.

"Okay," I reply, staring at the shower longingly. Hurry up and leave, you dim-witted boy! I want to take my shower already…

The boy snickers into his hand. "Don't worry, I'm leaving already." I hear his feet against the tile floor as he retreats into the hall.

As he walks away, I can't help but feel slightly guilty. I want to thank him for all he's done. He's helped me so much. I mean, he even let me eat his microwaved leftovers! If that's not generous, I don't know what is.

But I'm not used to it. I don't like to thank anyone and I don't like to apologize either. So, I can't apologize for taking up his time either. I guess I am bad at this stuff, you know social skills. Maybe that's why I only have one friend.

And she's possibly in another world.

Great.

I sigh and shake my head. Who am I kidding? Another world? Yeah, right. There are only two options. One, I am crazy. Two, I am dreaming. I hope I'm dreaming, because dreams are supposed to be pleasant. You can eat tons of ice cream without getting really fat.

Oh wait, that's only if you're having a _good_ dream. And judging by all the bad things that have happened so far, like waking up with really bad pains, and hitting my head, and getting headaches and all that crazy stuff, I don't think it is. I think it's more of a nightmare.

That's bad. It means if I eat ice cream I'll probably be so fat people will make some new "Yo Mama so fat she insert-something-really-absurd-here" joke, and then people will think I'm some balloon or something and send me into the air, but then I'll fall and die and—

Okay, I'm rambling. I don't even know why I'm thinking about what will happen if I eat ice cream. I mean, I don't even have ice cream to begin with. And if I don't have ice cream, how can I get fat by eating it?

But hey, I'm dreaming. Anything is possible. It doesn't have to make sense at all.

That means I'd best be beware. You never know when suddenly a devil will float by and stab you in the head with a lollipop.

….Right, I completely forgot about thanking the boy. I think that's what my mind was trying to do. You know, distract me with weird thoughts.

I gulp. The last time I've ever thanked someone is when they shared their Twinkie with me in pre-school. You see, this is what we should learn in social studies. It's in the name. _Social _studies.

My gaze drops to the floor. "Thank you," I mumble, shuffling my feet.

Yes! I finally got it out! That seriously took _forever_.

He chuckles. "You're welcome, princess." He shuts the door softly, and I listen to his muffled footsteps fade off down the hallway until it becomes silent again.

I scrunch my forehead up in confusion. Princess? Where did _that _come from?

Maybe he likes Disney or something. But considering how I haven't seen a single TV in the whole household yet, I doubt it. Besides, what kind of boy likes to watch a girl and a guy fall in love and go all corny on each other the "second they looked into each other's eyes"?

A small smile creeps onto my face at the thought of Disney. I love Disney. I really do. It's just they irritate me with how unrealistic they are.

Seriously, no kiss is so magical that it can save someone's life. If that were the case, then all doctor's would be learning in medical school would be how to kiss someone like the Prince saved Snow White.

And that would be utterly terrifying.

I lift my head and look at the shower. I'm getting distracted again. I still need to take a shower.

Frowning, I reach up to pat my hair.

"Ew…_Gross_," I say, my face contorted in disgust.

The strands are tangled to the point of no return, and millions of sand grains are stuck inside the mess. And on top of that, my scalp feels like it hasn't been washed in _years_, not to mention the disgusting coating of grease that feels like it could top a super-greasy pizza on the grease scale.

Then I remember the mirror. Right, I should probably go see what I look like. I am sure I'm exactly going to look like I just walked out of a salon, but I want to know what I look like anyway. I always _did_ have an obsession with mirrors.

Does that make me vain?

I wander over to the counter and lean over the edge, staring intently into the mirror.

The face of a six-year old stares back at me.

Huh?

I gasp, my eyes widening to the size of golf balls. The image in front of me starts to sway, blurring and turning in dizzy circles. My balance starts to leave me, and I feel myself tilting and stumbling in my daze like state. I grip the counter's edge tightly with my sweat-coated hands.

I gulp and shake my head. It's not possible. I'm just imagining this. It's not—

But it is.

It _is _possible.

_Yeah right_, I think, _for a crazy nut-case behind white walls. _

Slowly, I release my tight grip on the counter. I nervously lift my gaze back to the reflection, gathering the courage to look up.

It's still there.

My breathing quickens.

The mirror is broken. The mirror is broken. The mirror is broken. All I can think is how the mirror is broken and that's not me. Because I'm 16 and I'm plain and ugly and have pimples all over my face. Okay, so maybe I'm not ugly, I'm just a Plain Jane, but the point is, I'm not a kid, I don't have pudgy cheeks and really big, innocent looking eyes.

My hand trembles as I tenderly brush my fingertips against the smooth glass.

It's not broken.

My legs start to wobble like expired jell-o, until my feet slide out from under me. I slowly sink to the ground, my face frozen in horror.

Everything starts to catch up to me.

First, I wake up on a beach in the middle of some place I've never even heard of. Then, I don't know how I got there. And whenever I try to remember, my head starts to hurt and I get all dizzy.

On top of that, I have no clue how to get home. I'm stuck in some stranger's home and talking to people who are like, 8 years younger than me. And I don't even know their names.

And now—now I'm frickin' not even myself anymore.

My lips trembles as I struggle to stand. My legs are weak and I feel nauseated. The room spins like I'm on a merry-go-round, and my stomach lurches. I feel like I'm about to puke.

I lean on the counter for support as I feel my body start to sway. It's kind of like I'm drunk—drunk on terror. I'm a frightened mouse in the cat's territory. I'm scared and confused and I don't know what to do anymore.

I wish this was some kind of video game, because in video games there's always the option to quit and just walk away. But something tells me I can't—I can't quit. In a game of life, quitting is not an option. Suicide is losing, and the only way to win is to persevere.

But I'm not strong. I'm weak. I can't pack a decent punch worth beans, in school I'm considered the wimpiest of wimps, and I'm so stupid I almost got held back a grade. So how is some dimwit like me supposed to survive like this? If I can't protect myself when I'm 16, how am I supposed to protect myself when I'm _6_?

I don't get it. This must be a dream, I _know _that, but I kind of feel like it's not, at the same time. Every emotion feels so real, and these people around me are so real that I don't know why, but I can't help but think, maybe they are real.

Ugh. I am_ so_ confused.

I look straight into the mirror, as if I'm trying to prove something to it. My face is hardened into a frustrated glare, the tops of my eyebrows pulled together. A young girl who appears to be, at most, 6 years old stares back at me, unblinking.

I blink.

She blinks.

I stare.

She stares.

I growl loudly, letting out a vicious snarl. I am not surprised to see the girl do the same. Only it's kind of hilarious and humiliating at the same time, because it looks ridiculous when some six-year old girl with a cutesy-pie face that mommas go all crazy over does it. I'm humiliated to recognize that that's me that looks funny, but humored by the image so much that my face softens and I let out a giggle.

Hold on. I _giggled_? That is just so wrong. I swear, that is _totally_ OOC. _OOC_ I tell you! Okay, maybe not. Maybe I'm really a giggle-and-squealer but I swear my giggle doesn't sound like it just sounded. It used to sound like more of a chuckle, but now it sounds like a brat's squeal-ish laugh.

I don't know about you, but I think that's kind of horrifying.

I just got turned into a six-year old brat.

A brat.

I'm a brat.

A stinkin' little brat.

Oh. My. God.

I groan and drop my head in my heads, massaging my temples. I cannot believe this. No matter how long I look into that stupid, retarded mirror, I just can't accept that one fact. It's like I reject it, because it doesn't fit into my reality. _My _reality consists of logical things that can be scientifically explained. This, however, cannot be. No person can switch bodies and end up in a weird, crazy world full of equally crazy people. That's impossible, I tell you, _impossible._

Therefore, it cannot be real.

See, there's the concrete proof. I'm dreaming.

Great, now if only I could_ feel_ like I'm dreaming, and not like I'm standing here in flesh and blood, and yet not my _own _flesh and blood. Then, I would really believe that I'm dreaming.

Reluctantly, I force my gaze to turn back to my reflection. It _still_ doesn't really feel like my reflection. It feels like my image has been photo-shopped out and replaced with some random six-year old girl's.

I wonder how it is that I never realized this before. It's no wonder everything seems so tall and forbidding. At least, now I know how it's possible that the boy is taller than me. I felt like punching myself in the head. How stupid can one get?

I'd always prided myself in catching on quickly, but here I am in an unknown place in a stranger's body, and it took a mirror for me to find out. Concrete proof I wasn't as smart as I thought I was. And I really didn't think I was that smart _at all_. That just made me a whole lot dumber. Great.

I feel like punching the mirror. Then I wouldn't have to look at the awful reflection staring back at me. I feel like the Evil Queen in Snow White when she looked into her mirror and saw that the most beautiful person was Snow White. I hate how I expect the stupid little girls face to disappear and turn into mine. I hate how I'd always wished I was prettier back home, but now, here I am in someone else's body, who is no doubt the most striking child I have ever seen, and I don't even like it.

It's like I don't like it because…it's just not me. It's like I can't be happy with it because it's not the face I was born with. I feel like a person who's just gone through with plastic surgery and came out with a beautiful face, only to decide they don't like it. Only I didn't get a choice. But I _did_ wish to be more beautiful. I wonder if that counts.

It's like I can't be proud to be beautiful because it's not my own face.

It's just not…_me_.

I glare at my reflection, feeling like the most pitiful creature in the world.

My hair _was _brown. Apparently, by some god-forsaken curse, it is now black. This is horrible. I hate black hair. I mean, what are you supposed to do on those hot, 100 degree summers when the sun just won't stop shining on you? Have an instant blonde hair dye prepared? I don't think so, buddy.

The black hair looks so yucky I'm not even going to touch it. The ends go all the way down to my scrawny butt, and they're all so tangled I can't tell one end from the other. Leaves and twigs stick out of my hair messily like I'd been using them for hair decorations or something. There is sand caught in the knots and sprinkled all over my head, kind of like salt on a potato, only the person eating it must really be obsessed with salt, because there sure is a lot of sand. I look like a hobo. Which, I believe, I _am,_ if this is really reality and not a dream.

I sigh. I look horrible. There are dark purple circles under my eyes. I don't know how they got there. I've been sleeping 24/7 for, like, two days now, so how is that even possible?

Speaking of which, my eyes have lost their sleepy, dull hazel color, and have now adapted a bright, sapphire blue color, if you can even call waking up in a different body with weird, creepy eyes, adapting. But really, those eyes are scary. They're big and blue and when I look at my reflection and see those eyes looking back at me, it's like they see right through me—right through everything single one of my lies and down to my soul. And they're_ my_ eyes too. They look so innocent and childlike—so unlike me, that it's scary.

I shiver and rub my arms. This all feels so wrong. I mean, it's me-- it's me in the mirror, but it certainly doesn't _feel_ that way.

As I further examine my reflection, I become increasingly aware of the alarming skinniness of it. I run my hands over my stomach, trying not to feel like some child-molester. No fat there. I can literally feel my ribs poking out from under my skin. I look down. Apparently, I can see them too.

Dude, this is not cool. I'm really glad I'm not some obese kid, but at this point I think I'd choose being super fat and overweight than looking like _this_. Sure, I'd love to be super-model skinny, but this is not pretty skinny. This is hideous, anorexic skinny.

I grimace. _Gross_.

I'm also very short. I look so tiny and frail in my reflection it kind of looks like if someone were to poke me, I'd keel over and die.

I'd best avoid any pencils and little boys. No, not little girls. Little girls are evil in a different way. They like to pull and braid hair, but my hair is so ugly right now I'd doubt they'd even _want _to touch it. On the other hand, little boys will make paper airplanes and throw them at you. I'm afraid one of those will hit me with their pointy tips and I'll die.

That will not be fun. If I could choose the way I die, I want to die in a really cool and awesome way. Kind of like slipping a banana peel, falling off of the Empire State Building and landing on top of Hannah Montana. By the time the cops come to arrest me for invading a celebrity's private space, I'll already be dead from the fall. Then the tabloid magazines can make a fortune off of that story and I'll be going down in history as the girl who fell on top of Miley Cyrus.

See, _that's _how you get yourself famous when you're not crazily pretty or fantastically smart.

Hurray me. I am so awesome.

But judging by the way things are looking right now, if this is not a dream, and I can't figure out how to get the hell out of here and back to my own body, I won't need to fall on top of Miley Cyrus. I'll already have pedophile creeps stalking me, because although I hate to admit it, this kid is total super model material.

But let's not think pessimistically. I like to think more on the lines of how I can get out of here because this is a dream, and I'll wake up any second now.

I'm not even going to try the pinch your arm thingy, seeing as people are obviously making up that thing about how you can't feel anything in a dream. I've already had several weird drop-dead-on-the-floor attacks from the weird pains I seem to be getting a lot, so that can't be right. Or, it could be, and I'm just wrong about my theory on this being a dream.

I lean closer to the mirror, almost pressing my cheek against it.

My skin is pale, but it's hard to tell because of the thick layer of mud, wet sand, and dried blood caked over it. I look like a pig that rolled around in mud, while thinking it was chocolate ice cream.

Expect for the blood, I mean, pigs aren't bloody unless they've been to the butcher's shop. And you know what they say about butchers. They're evil. They're always in those horror movies I watched. Pigs should avoid them at all costs, because pigs are awesome and will one day learn to fly.

If you kill them for food, you will never know if you are eating the one that could have learned to fly. Not that I've never eaten pork before. In fact, I love pork. I hope that if I eat enough of it, I'll gain enough pig fat to have some pig genes in me that will let me fly too.

Hold on—blood? How did that get there?

I think about all the pain I've been experiencing while I've been awake, as well as those blurry memories of the time I was washed up on the shore. See, I know the weird boy with freckles was there at that time, but I can't remember what he was doing. I can't remember anything during that time at all. It's like I try to recall something, but everything is just all black and full of pain in my back.

Well, anyway, I suppose I probably have been injured somehow.

I shall now investigate.

Lifting up my shirt and pulling it over my head, I look down at my stomach and am horrified at what I see.

My stomach is covered in long gashes, some old scars, and others fairly new. My skin is a disgusting mixture of blue, yellow, and black bruises. There isn't a patch of skin that isn't colored. Around the newer gashes, the skin is crusty, and there is dried blood slathered all over my stomach. The cuts look dirty, all caked with mud, sand, and blood.

So. Much. Blood.

My stomach twists up inside, like a coiled string of licorice. I feel like screaming and ripping out my hair and then puking all over the bathroom, but my body won't move. I'm frozen like a statue, only I'm one very disgusting looking statue. My mouth won't form words, so I'm just staring, wide-eyed at my stomach.

I swallow down a mouthful of bile at the repulsive sight. I quickly look away.

What was that? What's wrong with me? Am I dying? Am I _dead_?

I close my eyes tightly, trying to block out the images of my scarred stomach. So, that's why my body hurts so much when I move.

But I don't understand.

How? How did I get those scars? And how did I even end up in this body to begin with?

So many questions, yet so little answers.

I wrack my brain for something—anything. I want an answer. I want one _now_.

But I have nothing.

No clues. No guesses. No memories.

Nothing.

"What happened to me?" I squeak. My words echo of the vacant walls of the bathroom, reminding me of how alone I am here. My voice is quiet and high-pitched and my breathing shallow. Yet it seems so loud in the eerie silence of the bathroom.

The sound of my heart beating loudly in my chest is the only thing that answers me.

I sigh and nervously crack my eyes open. I'm afraid to look down at my hands and see those small, tiny hands that aren't my own. I'm afraid to look at myself and see someone else.

I gulp. What is wrong with me? Why am I like this? Why I am in this new body? Why am I here?

I close my eyes. I have to calm down.

I don't know how long I just stand there, stock still with my eyes closed and my heart beating erratically, but eventually, panicked sweat stops drenching my body and my heart slows to a more natural pace. I feel slightly drowsy, but nonetheless one hundred times more at peace than before.

As I stand there, this time with my eyes open and just staring emptily at the mirror, it is different than before. My body is here, but my mind somewhere else, I wish will all my heart I had someone there to tell me what I should do, but of course that is all hopeless. I am lost. In two ways. One, because I have no idea where I am. Two, because I have no idea what I should about that.

I am double lost. Great. Now if only the two negatives would cancel each other out and become positive.

Yeah right. This isn't math. It's life.

I wonder why schools don't educate kids in the subject of life. I swear, if they were in my position, they would not be thinking about how much they need to know about dead people like Harriet Tubman and Abe Lincoln. I bet you anything they wouldn't be thinking about what 'x plus y' equals either.

They'd probably be thinking around the same lines as me. And I'm thinking about how much my life sucks right now. That, or, if they are a pedophile, they would be thinking about very naughty and disgusting thoughts about molesting their own six-year old body.

But seriously, I need to do something. I can't just sit here and wallow in self-pity. Actually, I could, and it seems to be a very tempting option right now, seeing as I don't know what else to do, and feeling sorry for myself feels like eating ice cream during a volcanic eruption—very nice and relaxing indeed.

For some reason, thinking about volcanic eruptions makes me think of hot temperatures, which makes me think about the sun, which makes me think about the beach, which makes me think about tanning, which makes me think about the paleness of my new skin.

See, I am so smart. I make wonderful connections.

But really, my skin is _so_ pale. I really want a tan. I look so unhealthy, like the last time I went out in the sun was 10 billion years ago.

Which reminds me, shouldn't I be taking a shower? I mean, that's what I came in here for, but I got totally distracted and now I don't feel like it anymore. But I am so dirty. Wouldn't I _want_ to take a shower?

I am so confused. I always like showers. Showers are usually the highlight of my day. So why don't I want to take one now?

I guess I just don't want to know what it will feel like when the water comes cascading down on the open wounds on my stomach. The older scars would probably be fine, but the newer ones look horrid.

I am about to cross my arms against my chest, when suddenly a ripple of pain rolls down my back. My back arches and I gasp, the pain consuming my being. My body collapses on the floor, and I just lie there with my cheek pressed against it, my chest heaving up and down in shallow gasps.

Eventually, the spurt of pain dies down, and I wonder what that was. I am such a spaz. I need pills. Seriously, I am having too many panic attacks today, as well as a much too high dosage of pain for my liking. I've never been one to be tolerant of pain, but honestly I don't think anyone else would fare better when they're dealing with the pain I'm dealing with right now. I swear, it feels like hell.

But even as I start to feel better, I'm too lazy to get up, so I just close my eyes and stay there.

The tile floor is so cold, so _hard_. It reminds me of something. Something that hurt—hurt a lot. My heart starts to thud loudly in my chest again and I feel the back of my neck drenched in a cold sweat. I try to remember what the cold floor reminds me of, but I can't. It's like I know I know what it was, but there's something there, blocking me out.

My head begins to hurt, throbbing like someone is banging a hammer into it. It's a familiar feeling, the same one I awoke to that day I washed ashore on the beach, only this time it's worse. It hurts so much I can't think. It's blinding—this pain is blinding.

My screams are caught in my throat, unable to escape. My mouth hangs open and my vocal chords strained, a silent cry of pain the only thing escaping. There are tears in my eyes, freely streaming down my cheeks in a flood.

I writhe on the floor, clutching my head in my hands tightly. I curl up into a ball, but it doesn't make the pain fade, so I stretch back out again. But that doesn't help either. I thrash around from side to side, rolling around the floor. My tiny fingers around wrapped around the roots of my hair in small fists that threaten to rip the hair out.

I am wild, kicking my legs around blindly and salvaging any comfort from the pain. I begin to bang my head against the floor, trying to soothe the pain with a new kind of pain. There could never be anything more painful than this. It is excruciatingly painful. Like a scorching burn, slowly biting through the walls of my mind and sending the insides up in flames.

A strangled cry escapes my throat, but it is nothing more than a tiny squeak. It sounds like a dying mouse, caught in a mouse trap with the cheese right before it.

I know exactly how long the pain lasts. 5 minutes and 22 seconds. And yet, it seemed like a lifetime.

When the pain is gone, I just lie there on the ground, breathing heavily. My hands slowly release their tight grip on my hair and fall of my sides. I feel my forehead burning with heat, and the sweat pouring down my skin in buckets and buckets. There is not a drip of liquid in my mouth. My tongue is dry, but my mouth is filled with the taste of blood.

I cough lightly and blood splatters on the ground beside me. I stare at it blankly, unable to comprehend anything. My mind is too slow to catch up with anything going on around me. All I can think about is how good it feels for the pain to be gone. How relieved I am that it's gone.

It was torture. The pain was pure torture. There was no other word to describe it, in fact, I don't even think _that_ describes it well enough. It was like witnessing hell. Flames torched my mind, and it was like a burning inferno, scalding hot and licking away at my mind. I felt like I was being destroyed from the inside out, like my mind was being destroyed.

Maybe this is what it feels like to be going crazy.

Slowly, my vision refocuses and I can see things clearly again. I see the red liquid in front of me, but my brain is still working hard to catch up. All I can think about is how I should clean it up. My hand trembles and my arm hangs weak and limp as I slowly extend it, mopping the blood up with my hand. I don't even stop to think about why there is blood, but now that I do, it probably has to do with me biting down on my tongue.

But that's strange. I wasn't biting on my tongue at all. I could swear my mouth was hanging wide open for the flies to fly in. So then why was I coughing up blood?

I sigh. Why does it matter? Just one internal wound won't matter. Not in comparison to the million scars on my stomach. I feel like I am resigning myself to being in pain for the rest of my life, like I'll never be completely healthy again. But that would mean resigning myself to this world and this terrible body, and that's something I don't ever want to do.

Suddenly, I wonder if my back is the same as my stomach. I hope it isn't, but I can't feel anything, because my body still feels all numb and tingly.

Slowly, I pick myself up off the floor. I am light-headed and dizzy, and I feel utterly miserable, but I feel like I have to know this. I turn around and peer over my shoulder at the reflection of my back.

I bite my lip to keep from screaming. My eyes water at the sight. It's horrible. It's _worse_ than my stomach. To think I didn't think that was possible.

My whole back is raw and covered in both fresh and dry blood. And there, in the center is a pink mark. There is a circle, and then four triangles. Three are on top of the circle, and one is below. It reminds me of a bloody paw print.

When I see the mark, my head starts to hurt really, _really_ bad again. It pounds and throbs and bashes at my temples. It's the same pain I was having before, when I was writhing on the floor a moment ago, but at the same time it's different.

This time, a scene is playing in my head. It's unfamiliar. I have no idea what it is. I hear thoughts that are not mine. I see through eyes that are not mine. I hear and feel and touch all these things through a different mind. It's a memory—but it's not mine.

_**I am thrown on the ground beside the burning flames. My hands and feet are tied tightly together by a thick rope that burns at my raw skin. Escape is impossible. Tears are streaming down my cheeks and screams rip from my throat. My eyes are wide and terrified. My whole body shakes in violent tremors. **_

_**Someone save me. Someone save me. Someone save me. I scream it in my head, and soon I'm screaming it out loud. **_

_**No one comes.**_

_**The smell of molting iron from behind me burns my nose. I cough and choke on the smoke, trying to ignore the sound of the men behind me cackling. They think it's funny. **_

_**I thrash around in my ropes like a fish on land. I hear the man's footsteps as he approaches me from behind. I thrash around more.**_

_**I don't know why they're doing this. Am I bad? Is that why Mommy and Daddy sold me? Because I didn't eat my vegetables like all good kids did?**_

_**The rocks scratch against each other, drawing orange sparks as the man withdraws the long pole from the flames.**_

_**Mommy! Daddy! I scream and squeeze my eyes shut tight. Why won't anyone come? **_

_**The man lifts the pole above his head and thrusts it down on my back—**_

The memory comes to an abrupt stop. The scene disappears and is replaced by the quiet bathroom. My breathing is quick and sweat is pouring down my forehead. It all felt so _real_. It felt like I was there, and I was living the moment. I was seeing it through someone else's eyes and feeling it through someone else's body.

Something clicks in my head. Maybe, just maybe, that was the previous memories of this body. Maybe that was something that happened to the girl before I came and took over?

I try to pull the memory up again, but my whole mind just goes blank. I don't know how to explain it. It's like something is blocking me—like there's some kind of wall. If I try to think about it and the barrier slams down on top of me. Then the massive headache starts to come on, the one I was feeling a few moments ago. It's always there whenever something reminds of a thing in this girl's past.

What about my past?

I'm scared. With the realization of what the headaches were from and the pains all over my body, I feel like I've come of realize this is no dream. But I don't like that. I want denial. It want that soothing feeling that everything's going to be just fine, no matter how many mistakes I make, because it's only a dream and dreams aren't real. I want that ignorance back, because now that's it's gone, it won't come back. I don't care if I'm only deluding myself. I'd rather hide from the truth than face it.

I want to go home.

I let out a muffled sob and bury my head in my hands. Tears start to form in the corners of my eyes and slide down my cheeks, leaving trails of moist on my dirty face.

I can't take this. It's too much at once.

I miss my mom and her warm voice as she wishes me goodnight before I go to bed if she can't come home. I yearn for my father's welcoming embrace when he returns from a business trip with my mom. I long for the feel of Kota's fur underneath my hands.

Suddenly, I remember my best friend, Rika. I wonder how she's doing. Is she getting bullied again, because I'm not there? Is her mom able to pay this month's rent without my allowance to aid her?

I shudder at all the things that could happen to her if I'm not there for her.

A thought crosses my mind, one that I've purposely been locking in the back of my mind.

What if I never come home?

Images flash in my mind like a PowerPoint playing over and over. I see my mom's smile, my dad's proud face, my tenth birthday party that's guest list consisted of only me, Rika, her mom, Kota, and my parents. And then the screen just goes blank, and their gone in that blink of an eye. It's all been taken away from me in one moment.

I don't even know how I ended up here.

What if I never see my parents again? What I never see Rika again? What if I never get my own body back? What if I have to stay here in this insane world for the rest of my life?

What then?

My head feels like it's going to go on overload and explode into a million different pieces. I don't know what to do anymore. It's all so confusing.

There is only one thing I know for sure. One thing set in gold—one thing I can never lose hope in no matter what happens.

I have to go home.

But now, I think it's best if I just take a shower.

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End of Chapter 3.

Please Review.

Tell me what you guys think about my story.

Boring? Weird? Funny? Bad grammer? Original?

Come on. Just review it.

You know you want to.

-Cookie Krisp


	5. Introductions

**Author's Note: **This is chapter 4. It's short. Sorry about that. I'm at home, sick, and my mom won't let me on the computer for a long period of time. There may be a lot of errors, because I didn't have time to proofread it. Anyway, Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Who are you?" a very childish voice asks. The voice sounds remarkably familiar, but I can't place it. As I said, I'm having serious issues with my memory right now.

I had just finished my shower, which turned out to be exceedingly long. Surprisingly, it was not because I sat looking at the mirror for about an hour, but more because I was desperately scrubbing as hard as I could to get the filth of my body. And that was a very difficult task, even though this body is so tiny, because of all the scars and wounds I had to avoid.

On top of that, the water stung my cuts like vinegar on an open wound. It hurt so badly I was crying and whimpering the whole time I was in the shower. Yeah, sure, call me a wimp or whatever but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't enjoy that experience much either.

And then my hair took _another _hour to wash. I'd given up on untangling the mess, and just focused on getting the shampoo in there and washing out my scalp. I knew I would have to get the hair cut off, probably all the way up to just below my ears. Honestly, I don't really care. I always wondered what it was like to have short hair. I just hope I won't get a bowl cut, because those are really, really not cool.

"Me?" I ask as I enter the kitchen. There are three people in the room. One of which who's name I know he told me, but I totally forgot, another that I feel like I've heard before, and a third who is a lady, who I have never seen, heard, of met before. In other words, Freckle boy, Tiny boy, and the lady.

The lady has her back turned and is working at the counter, presumably cooking food for the two boys sitting impatiently at the table.

The tiny boy nods vigorously.

I raise an eyebrow. "I am Leiko," I declare proudly, tilting my chin up with a proud smirk on my face.

Dear god, my voice sounds so high-pitched and nasally. I sound _so_ annoying. I guess small vocal chords don't make for very low pitches. I should totally voice one of those bratty, self-centered kids in TV shows. Oh wait, I forgot. There_ aren't_ any TV's out here. _Duh_.

I blink. "Who are _you_?" I ask, my eyes sweeping the small boy up and down.

He is a small boy, around the same height as the 'new' me, as I like to call it. He has shaggy black hair and wide, curious eyes. Something about him makes him look innocent and pure, more so than a regular child. Maybe it's his eyes. Or maybe it's just that dumb expression on his face. Yeah, I think it's his stupid face.

Actually, he looks like a monkey. Wow.

"I'm Luffy!" he exclaims, waving his fork around wildly. I grimace and take a step back, prepared to make a run for it if the boy ever decides he's going to throw that thing at me. Hey, safety's first, right? He grins widely and kicks his feet under the table. "The man who will be Pirate King!"

I stare at him strangely. "Pirate King? What's that?"

I bet it's some weird Pirates of the Caribbean video game champion title. Well, that's certainly an odd dream to have, but I guess it's better than wanting to be a dog when you grow up. Yep, that's what I wanted to be. At least, that's what Mom always says. She always tells me about how I used to eat under the table and scratch at the door when I needed to pee, but I don't remember any of that stuff, so I think she's lying.

Also, I don't remember ever being that un-cool. Not that going after your dream is stupid or anything…but when you start behaving like a dog, that's kinda not cool. At least cool people would have the sense to a cat, because, yeah, you know what people say about pampering cats.

He gasps and gapes at me, like it's a crime that I don't know it. "You don't know who the Pirate King is?"

I shake my head.

"Ace!" he yells, and turns to the other boy. He points at me rudely, and I have this absurd urge to bite his finger off. Maybe I _am_ going to be a dog when I grow up. "She's doesn't know who the Pirate King is!"

The older boy, the one who had been there when I woke up, turns and cocks his head at me. I guess he is Ace, then. He raises a skeptical eyebrow. "You don't?"

"No," I say, feeling oddly stupid. Dude, I'm 16 and ten times smarter than these kiddos right here. Is it not wrong that I feel stupid when I'm talking to them? Seriously, they probably don't even know how to read. "Am I supposed to know?"

The lady laughs and turns around. She has short, dark green hair tied up in a yellow, checkered bandana. She has a kind, motherly smile on her face as she looks at me. I look her up and down and think she is very pretty.

Why can't _I _be like that?

Oh right, because instead of getting turned into a beautiful, mature woman, I get turned into a childish, bratty-voiced 6-year old girl with a traumatic past involving fat, creepy, space-suit-wearing men with snot dripping out of their noses. What did I do to deserve this?

Oh boy, I hope God isn't mad at me for stealing that last cookie from the jar. Nah, he probably isn't. If there's anyone mad about that, it's gotta be my dog, Kota. After all, I know Kota was planning on eating that cookie too. Oh crap, maybe dogs really _are _gods, and this is my punishment.

…Probably not. If that was the case, then I'm sure I would've been dead a long time ago when I tried to insert that thermometer stick thing that vet's use, up his butt. Ha, that was hilarious. Kota had a _stick _up his _butt_!

"Don't worry. Ace , here, told me about your condition," the lady says, smiling. Her voice brings me out of my thoughts, back to the scene at hand.

Condition? Is she talking about my 'amnesia? When I first said it, it was meant to be a lie, but I guess it's not really a lie anymore. Now that I've found out that this body has its own memories that I can't access, I can freely say I don't know who I am without the slightest bit of remorse.

After all, I have no clue who the hell this body belongs to, other than the fact that the girl supposedly was 'owned' by creepy retards with mental diseases. I say I can also be safe to assume the injuries on her body are from being beaten. I have my own suspicions about this, and those are that this girl was a slave, but you never know, she could've just been an emo. And that, my friends, is very, very disturbing.

Seriously, think about it in _my_ position. Would you want to be in a slave girl's body, who has injuries that are most certainly fatal? Would you want to have to worry about whether the slave owner is coming after you? Would you want to be feeling slightly guilty about what might have happened to the poor girl's soul when you decided to step in and take the stupid, three-quarters-dead body over and kick the girl out?

Okay, so maybe I don't even know what happened, but I have my theories. Do you want to hear them? Well, frankly, I don't care, so you're going to hear them anyway.

Number one: The girl was dying, her soul didn't have enough will power to go on and left her body a second before the body really died, and then I swooped in and took over with enough will power to keep the dumb body alive.

Number Two: The pizza I ate was poisonous and made me delusional, so now I'm in a mental hospital screaming about poisonous pizzas.

Number three: My dog hates me. Enough said.

Number four: This is another planet, and I am an alien that takes over peoples bodies.

Number five: Magic!

Okay, I choose number two.

….Fine, shut up, okay? Let me dream about still being in my world and not in another universe.

Alright, the one that makes the most sense is number one, I admit _that_, but that doesn't mean I want it to be that way. I mean, who wants to be in some dead girl's body anyway? Certainly not _me._

But still, that one is certainly the most plausible; I give it credit for that. But I'm not admitting to anything else, so get used to my awesome stubbornness.

"Luffy and Ace are always going on about the Pirate King," the lady continues.

"But what is the Pirate King, anyway?" I ask curiously.

Her eyes glaze over; like this is a story she's memorized and told millions of times before. Heck, with these crazy kids around her, I bet she has. "Wealth, fame, power. The man who had acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, Gold Roger. His last words sent men to the sea and began the Great Age of Pirates. 'My treasures? If you want it, you can have it. Look for it! I left it all at that place!'" She sighs. "It is said that 'that 'place' was somewhere at the end of the Grand Line."

"Grand Line?" I repeat. Is that some line on a piece of paper that goes on forever and ever, kind of like pi? But then again, that would make finding the treasure impossible, so I guess not.

"Yes. There are four seas divided by the Red Line and the Grand Line, which run perpendicular to each other. These seas are West Blue, East Blue, South Blue, and North Blue. The Red Line is a huge mountain range, and the Grand Line is said to be the graveyard of pirates. It is the most dangerous and unpredictable sea in the world. On both sides of the Grand Line, is a region of water where no wind blows, called the Calm Belt."

Information overload! Hel-_lo_, I think my brain is going to explode from all this thinking. I just received my first lesson on world geography. Actually, what the heck is this world called? You know what, forget it. I'll think about that later.

"Hm..." I say thoughtfully.

The lady sighs as she wipes a glass in her hand. "Luffy and Ace both want to find One Piece."

I tilt my head to the side in confusion. One Piece? One piece of what? A pie?

"What's that?" I ask, unfamiliar with all of the terms.

"It's what people call the treasure."

"Oh," I say. "So Luffy and Ace are gonna be pirates?"

She nods.

"And they want to find One Piece and become Pirate King?"

Another nod.

"That's stupid," I declare, crossing my arms over my chest.

Luffy frowns and waves his fork at me. "What'd you say?" he yells.

"It's stupid," I repeat, sticking my nose high in the air.

"It is not!" His face turns red in anger.

"Yes it is!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"Not!"

I feel so ridiculous, me, a sixteen year old girl in a six year old body, arguing with a seven year old boy over pirates. But there is _no_ way I'm going to lose. "Is!"

"Stop fighting," Ace says. He looks pointedly at me. "And, look, I really don't care if it's stupid. It's my dream and I'm going to make it come true, no matter what anyone says."

I flush and stomp my foot stubbornly. "Fine then! Be that way!"

_Kids_. I sigh and shake my head. They are _so_ annoying.

The lady chuckles into her hand. "Come on, now. Sit down." She motions to the table. "You must be hungry. I'm about to serve lunch."

A loud growl erupts from my stomach. My cheeks flush a bright red color as I cover my rumbling stomach with my arms to muffle the sound. It doesn't work.

Dude, and I _just _ate too. Right before I took a shower. Growing kids eat too much.

Which reminds me, I may have to go through puberty again. Ew. I think I have to puke.

I sigh dishearteningly and try to sit as far away from Ace and Luffy as I can. Unfortunately, the table is circular, and it's small too, so it's very hard to do that. In fact, it's practically impossible because with where Luffy and Ace are sitting, if I move to one side, then I'll just be moving away from one and closer to another. It's a lose-lose situation.

Eventually, I give up and hoist myself onto the chair. I am momentarily depressed because of my lack of height, but immediately brighten as the nice lady brings out the food.

"Thank you for the meal," I say, as she places a plate and a drink in front of me.

Licking my lips, I grab my fork and spoon and stare at the plate ravenously. The plate is filled with white rice, meat, and vegetables. I feel like I could eat a cow.

"You're welcome." She smiles as she hands Luffy and Ace their food.

As soon as they have their food, I dig in. I spear the food mercilessly and scoop it into my mouth. Soon, however, my fork clangs against the empty plate, but my stomach is still hungry for more.

"More please!" I demand, holding out my plate. I am so hungry I don't even think to be polite.

The lady chuckles and refills my plate with a second serving. I quickly plow through that one and another one until I am full.

I sigh contently and slump in my chair. Patting my stomach, I kind of expect it be very, very round, like how it would've been in my own body. But it's not, so I'm almost surprised to find that even with three full servings in there, my ribs still stick out.

Suddenly, I become aware of my surroundings. Since I was eating before, I guess I never noticed it, but now I hear gobbling sounds combined with loud snores coming from across the table. Um…okay? That's not weird at_ all_.

I glance up and my eyes almost fall out of their sockets at what I see.

Luffy has a huge pile of empty plates piled up next to him, and he is still eating. I was starving, and I only ate three. How is this kid able to eat more than me? I try and count the plates, but there are too many, and I'm still in that weird shell-shocked state where I feel kind of numb anyway.

Ace's face is mashed into his food. If it weren't for the snoring sounds coming from him, I would have thought he was dead. Next to him is a pile of plates similar to Luffy's, only half the size. And that's probably only because he fell asleep.

I knewit. These people are _crazy_!

Suddenly, I remember that I need to get my hair cut._ I_ don't want to people to think_ I'm_ crazy, so I better start making myself look presentable.

"Nice lady?" I ask. Yep, that's my new nickname for her.

She looks at me. "Yeah?"

"Can you cut my hair?"

* * *

I'm sitting in a tall chair outside. The blades of grass sway peacefully in the cool breeze and the leaves rustle peacefully. The sky is a bright blue without a wisp of cloud in sight.

I close my eyes and inhale, breathing in the fresh air. The breeze blows against my bare skin. I feel so refreshed after the shower and the meal.

Smiling, I open my eyes and stare out at the open field. The grass is long and there are many tiny hills that roll up and down along the plain. The whole atmosphere is peaceful.

I spot a few windmills, churning in the breeze. "Windmills?" I ask curiously.

"Yes. This is Fuschia, the windmill village," the nice lady, who I now know is Makino, explains.

"Eh…" I mumble in wonder as I stare at the calming scenery.

I hear the _snip snip_ noise from behind me as Makino cuts my hair. Clumps of black hair fall to the ground and blow away in the wind, like dandelion seeds.

"So," Makino says, "Do you have any idea where you live?"

I do, but I'm not telling her that. Besides, this girl's body must have come from _somewhere_, and that is something I do not know, so technically I am not lying.

Speaking of which, what if this girl has a family and a home? Great, now I've just come in and taken over her body. I wonder what happened to her. Wonderful, now I get to wonder about Theory One of mine. Did she die? Did she go to heaven? Or maybe she's in my body.

Yeah right. I highly doubt that. From the condition of her body, I'd say the best bet is that I am in a once-dead, now-alive body. That doesn't even make sense.

"No," I finally reply shortly.

Makino sighs. "What should we do with you?"

I want to say 'send me home' but since I already told her I didn't know where 'home' was, I don't think that will work.

I shrug. "I don't know."

She frowns thoughtfully. "I would love to allow you to stay here, but I've already got my hands full with Luffy and Ace, and they don't even live with me."

My jaw drops. "They don't?"

She shakes her head. "Nope. They just come around often."

"Oh," I say, dumbfounded. "They must really like you, then."

"I guess." She laughs warmly. "I like having them around. It's so lively."

I don't understand. How can she care for them so much? They are kids and annoying ones too. I would never do what Makino does for them. Not even if someone paid me a million dollars. Okay, so maybe I would, because I'm that greedy, but hey, no one has a million dollars to give me anyway, so why am I even thinking about this?

"You're Leiko, right?" Makino asks.

I nod.

"How would you like to go to town tomorrow to buy some clothes? I'm sure my old ones don't fit that well. Besides, we need to take you to the doctor."

The blood drains from my face. "No!" I exclaim. "I don't need to go to the doctor! I'm just fine!"

"No, no, we should take you in for a check-up. It won't be anything bad. I promise," she insists.

Yeah, and pigs fly. She can only say that because she doesn't know what's hidden under these clothes. If she knew about all those gashes, then I'm sure she would be calling the doctor right now.

"No," I groan. "I'm healthy. I swear." I secretly cross my pinky toes.

She frowns at me. "No. I'm taking you to the doctor and there will be no more discussion on this, okay?" she orders firmly.

Scaaaary.

…Maybe she's PMSing.

I gulp and nod.

"Good." She smiles brilliantly. "I've decided that I'll let you stay here until you remember, okay?"

A strong feeling of warmth bubbles up inside of me. "Really?" I ask. This is too good to be true.

"Of course," Makino says, smiling.

The _snip snipping_ of the hair-cutting scissors stops. Makino smiles at me and removes the cloth covering my clothes.

"All done now."

* * *

End of chapter 4.

P.S - Okay, for anyone wondering, I'm not sure if this is right, but it's my take on things, that when Ace was a child, he wanted to be Pirate King, so he set out, formed the Spade Pirates, but then met Whitebeard, joined his crew, and lost interest in becoming Pirate King himself. Like I said, I don't know if I'm right, and feel free to correct me. Sorry if I confused any of you guys.

Okay, please review.

Tell me how you guys would describe Leiko as. It's quite intriguing to see what my reviewers thinks of her as, seeing as I'm the authoress and I already have a set opinion.

Review!

It makes me really happy...

-Cookie Krisp


	6. A Trip to the Market

**Author's Note: ** Hey, here is Chapter 5. I didn't get to proofread it at all, so sorry about errors. sorry if my story moves really slow, but it's not like someone's just going to jump in and then time skip to when they kickass. They're going to have to settle in, get to know the characters, and so on.

**Disclaimer:I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 5:**

The next day, Makino, Ace, Luffy, and I walk down the dirt path that leads into town. When Ace and Luffy had stopped by at her house for a snack, Makino had decided to drag them along on our trip. She said we should have some time to 'bond', whatever that's supposed to mean.

I hum happily as I finger my new chin-length hair. It's shaggy and spikes out in all directions. It's probably because I didn't brush my hair yet. When I woke up, I had a _major_ bed-head, and was too afraid to touch it. I already had enough of untangling things yesterday, when I had to wash all the scum out.

My new hairstyle makes me look like a boy. It is remarkably similar to Ace and Luffy's hairstyle, only it's longer. I guess Makino likes that haircut or something. For some reason, I don't really mind that it makes me look like a boy, which is surprising, because I know I would have been throwing a fit if I were still a teenager. I guess this six-year old body is getting to me.

I wish I were still a teenager. Then I could date boys and (illegally) drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. Okay, so I wouldn't do that, because that is _total_ delinquent behavior and not recommended to small children reading this, but basically, there are a lot more things you can do when you're a teen.

The only thing you can do as a six-year old brat is smooch off of those ice cream shop owners that think kids are super cute. Ice cream is good, yeah, but it's not as fun as making-out with the hot new guy.

…Okay, for some reason, I feel kind of repulsed by the idea of kissing someone. Oh my god, I think my brain is being corrupted! God save me.

Or maybe it's just because my hormones aren't raging. Yeah, that's probably it. I'm six, I don't get aroused by sexy six-packs.

I sigh heavily as we pass a bunch of square-shaped shops. Great, so now I'm back to the stage where boys are just a super annoying species. The next thing you know, I'm going to be running around screaming about 'boy cooties'.

…What if cooties are real?

I glance warily at Luffy, who is bouncing up and down next to me. Scooting away, I carefully reposition myself so I am standing next to Makino. Even though I feel like a midget when I stand next to her, I'd rather be safe than sorry. You know, if boy's really _do_ have cooties. I'd rather not get them.

Wait a minute! What am I _thinking_?

I groan loudly and begin to whack myself on the head repeatedly.

_Stupid Leiko! Stupid Leiko! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Stop thinking like a kindergartener!_

"Leiko?"

I jump, startled. "Huh?" I look up at Makino and notice that we have stopped walking and everyone is staring at me strangely.

Hey, I am not strange. Stop looking at me strangely.

"What are you doing?" she asks, frowning down at me with worry.

I smile nervously. "Nothing."

"Oh," she says. She starts to walk again.

I sigh and stroll on after her. Luffy and Ace follow too, walking on both my sides.

Oh crap, I'm being cornered by _boys,_ the sons of Satan.

Someone tell me I totally did not just think that.

At least I'm still swearing. That's a sign that I am able to maintain _some _maturity. Oh wait, swearing is considered immature behavior. Let me rephrase that. I am at least able to maintain some teenage girl mentality.

"You're weird," Luffy declares, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I raise an eyebrow, shooting him a skeptical look. What the hell? I mean, like, hel-lo? Reality check?_ He's_ the weird one, not me. I might be a sixteen year old in a six year old body in a whole other world, but like, he's still weirder.

…What? He _is_.

"Thanks," I say sarcastically. I fake an innocent smile, but my face keeps twitching. "You are too."

I look up at the sky. The sky is pretty. So are clouds. No, wait, clouds are cute, not pretty. Clouds are fluffy, while the sky is elegant. There_ is_ a difference, you know.

_Grrrrrrrrradkgnsjdgh._

Wow, what a strange noise. There is totally, like, no way to describe using o…onoma…uh…that big word. Oh yeah, onomatopoeia.

I glance over at Luffy, who is holding his stomach. See, I told you he is the weird one. If his stomach makes weird sounds, he must be weird too.

Hey, that was a pretty convincing reason. My logic is flawless. Do not deny the truth.

Do you think I should be a lawyer when I grow up?

Pssh, when I grow up, yeah. But right now, I'm kind of six-years-old, so I don't think that's going to be anytime soon. That _totally_ stinks, you know, like, _majorly_ stinks? Like, your brother's stinky old socks dipped in rotten egg and fart gas, and then times that by two, and my situation will still stink more than that stink?

I am so smart. I make wonderful comparisons, you know that?

"I'm hungry," Luffy whines pitifully.

I sigh. I can't believe I am so bored I will actually engage in a conversation with this seven-year old idiot next to me. I mean, he totally doesn't deserve the right to have a conversation with me. Seriously, 'cause I'm, like, a six-year-old genius now, and he's just plain stupid.

I really shouldn't have to waste my brain cells talking to him.

But nonetheless, I also shouldn't have to waste my brain cells _ignoring_ him. I think that would be worse. Yeah, that would be really bad.

"Are you so hungry you can you eat a cow?" I ask randomly. I have found that random comments make for the most interesting conversations.

He tilts his head to the side in thought. "…Yeah. I can."

"Really?" I question. I wonder if he actually can. I mean, if you saw how much he ate yesterday, even _you_ would start to doubt yourself.

"Uh-huh," he nods with a dazed look on his face. Drool drips from his mouth and I assume he is fantasizing about eating one.

Um…ew?

I scoot away from the drooling boy. That drool could contain some of his germs, and I'm sure even his _germs _are stupid, and stupid is something I don't want to catch.

Normally, I would end the conversation right there, but then I'd be stuck in dull silence again. _Boooring._ I don't want that.

I study the sky in thought. "But what if you wanted to drink the cow's milk?"

He breaks out of his cow-eating fantasy. "Huh?" he asks with a dumb expression on his face. "The cow has milk?"

I groan. How stupid can this boy be? "Milk comes from cows."

He gasps in awe. "It _does_?"

"Uh-huh." I think about telling him that milk can also come from a woman, but decide not to. I mean, he might ask Makino for some milk one day, and that would be _sooo _awkward.

See, this is why I don't like hanging around with kids. They are really stupid and annoying and selfish. But I am like, super kind to them, and they, like, totally don't appreciate it. I bet they are just jealous because I'm better than them.

"How does the cow get it?" he asks, looking extremely intrigued.

"What? The milk?"

He nods eagerly.

I smirk, feeling ever-so-knowledgeable for a six-year old. "Well, first, they eat grass. Then, their mammary glands make it into milk, so they can feed their babies. Did that make sense?" I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, just to make sure he's listening.

Luffy just stares at me. "Um…yeah."

My eyebrow twitches. _Liar._

I sigh, but drop it. It's not worth getting worked up over. A dumb kid like that doesn't deserve to get any of my attention to begin with. I should so be the queen.

No really, I am just _that_ awesome.

Oh, I'm sorry. Please don't be jealous. I apologize if my brilliance is so astounding that it makes your pea-sized brain look like road-side dust, but seriously, I can't help it. I was _born_ that way.

And you were born that way. Ha! I am _so_ funny.

"Makino?" I ask. She turns. "How much longer until we get there?"

She smiles at my impatient look. "We are here. Come on. The market is a much busier place, don't get lost okay?"

* * *

"Wow," I breathe in awe.

Makino is right. The streets are bustling with people. Colorful shops and vendors line the packed streets. Salesmen wave bright, neon signs above their heads and call out to the crowd. Eager customers smile as they chat with shop owners.

It is a stark contrast to Fuschia's peaceful and less populated streets. But then again, this is Dawn Market, the biggest market on Dawn Island. I am quite pleased that Makino has taken the time to bring me here, as it is a long walk. And I don't think they have any cars here.

And if they do, well, let's just say I won't be happy. I hate walking, I hate running, I hate crawling, I hate skipping, I hate jumping, I hate dancing, I hate weight-lifting, and I hate annoying little brats who make me waste my energy on explaining something stupid like how cows make milk.

…Have I mentioned how much I hate exercise?

Makino smiles down at me. "Busy, huh?"

I nod.

As we enter the crowd, I feel this sudden urge to grab Makino's hand so I don't get lost. Damn, this stupid body is getting to me again. Before I know it, I'll be sucking my thumb and saying goo-goo-ga-ga 24/7. Let's hope I don't jinx myself.

Makino pulls us into a clothes store of some kind. Oh look, it says 'Clothes 4 Kids'....Are you kidding me? Okay, I guess not, but seriously, I feel_ so_ retarded. Technically, my body is a kid's, but my mind is a teens, so obviously, I think I'd prefer the teen clothes, even if they don't fit me.

Makino weaves through the clothes racks, scurrying about in some no-fashion-sense frenzy. Luffy, Ace, and I follow. Luffy and Ace are both grimacing unhappily. At least I'm not the only one who won't enjoy this shopping trip very much.

"Leiko!" Makino calls from the back somewhere.

I sigh and drag myself over to where she is standing with a bright yellow sundress in her hand. It has spaghetti straps and a bow that wraps around the waist and ties in the back.

My face brightens. "That's so cute!" I squeal and let out a girlish giggle. Okay, so maybe the kid's department doesn't have super stupid clown clothes, and Makino _does _have a sense of fashion.

This trip is going to be a lot more fun than I thought.

* * *

We finally leave the store about an hour later. Makino is holding five bags in her hands, and now that all the excitement of the moment has wore off, I'm starting to feel kind of guilty, not to mention stupid for getting so worked up over little kiddy clothes.

Luffy and Ace had apparently ran off somewhere while we were in there. I would be gladly throwing a party over the fact that they are gone, but apparently Makino is worried. Great, so now we have to find them. Great. Just great.

Actually, I don't blame them. If I were them, I would run too. I mean, while I am a girl, and I totally love fashion and all that girl stuff, I just don't get men's fashion. There is no way I would be able to stand in the little boys aisle for an hour, without giving into the temptation to start hiding in the clothes racks and knocking down all the mannequins. Wow, am I actually empathizing with them?

Oh my god, I think I've been brain-washed. Someone, please save me before I lose my mind. I'm already a bit coo-coo, and this is totally not helping me.

Besides, it's not that bad looking for them. Makino seems to be a little worried for them, but I think they'll be fine.

It kind of feels like one, big, demented game of hide-and-seek to me. But seriously, I wonder where they went. If they're eating ice cream without me right now, I will literally kick their asses. That'll show them.

I sigh and place my hands on my hips. "Where could they be?"

Silence…

I tilt my head and furrow my brow. "Makino?"

No answer…

My head whips around, and I suddenly find myself stranded alone in the middle of a big market.

"Oh crap."

* * *

The sky is a bright orange with pink, purple, and yellow streaks running through it. The market is slowly clearing out, but I still cannot find Makino. Oh my god, I cannot believe this. Makino got lost. Nope, there's no way _I _was the one who got lost. I mean, it couldn't have been _me_, because I have, like, _the _best sense of direction. Besides, I _never _make mistakes.

Eventually, I give up and plop down on a bench, feeling miserable. Makino is so stupid. How could she get herself lost?

Gee, I hope she didn't see Luffy and Ace eating ice cream, run off to join them, and completely forget about me. If she did, then I am officially going to be a psychic when I grow up. If she isn't, then I am officially crazy.

I sniffle, resisting the strong urge to burst out bawling. I feel pathetic right now.

"Child, where are your parents?" an old, yet strong and demanding voice says.

I turn around to face the voice. It's an old, withered grandma holding a cane. She has white hair tied in a bun on top of her head and bright red lip stick. There is a bundle of newspaper tucked under her arm.

Okay, it looks like I don't need Makino to tell whether I am mental or not. By the time I see midget grandmas like in all those funny, but dorky movies, I know I'm insane.

Well, I guess that's okay though. I mean, it was kinda expected, because, like, all the greatest people were all crazy. Like Leonardo Da Vinci. Only I am ten times more awesome than him, so that's not the best comparison.

And that's being modest. Don't even get me into how much more superior I am to everyone else.

"Um…" I mumble in shock. There is a scary grandma staring at me. She is the same height as me. How much stranger can things get?

Well, apparently a lot more, because that's what always happens when I ask stuff like that. Fate likes to jinx me. He's cruel, you know. Or maybe he's just jealous of me. Yeah, he's just jealous 'cause I'm better than him.

The grandma frowns. "Are you lost?"

"Kind of…" I murmur, and try to stop staring. Staring is rude. I should stop doing it so much.

But wait, I am rude. But that's okay, because I'm totally going to be the queen of the world soon. Yes, I have made up my mind. I plan on world domination.

"Do you know where you live?" she asks.

"Fuschia Village." Well, it's not really where I live, but I guess it will do. I hope she won't use that to stalk me.

Oh crap. I forgot that rule about not talking to strangers. Oh well. I shrug. It's already too late to go back. Besides, it's not like she's trying to sell me drugged candy.

"I see…then I shall take you there, as it is my duty as an elderly citizen to be a figure the young ones can look up to," the grandma says, looking extremely proud. She pats herself on the back, as if congratulating herself for giving that 'speech'.

…Senile grandma.

I shrug and follow her as she walks off. At least she's taking me home.

"So," the grandma begins when I catch up to her. She walks surprisingly fast for someone with a cane. "What's your name?"

"Leiko," I reply, staring dully at the now empty vendors.

"That's a pretty name!"

Um, yeah sure. Because a name that means _arrogant child _is so flattering, indeed.

"I am Paris. But please call me Gram."

Oh yum. Gram crackers. Tasty little treats.

"Okay," I say. The market seems so lonely when all the people have gone home.

Gram looks straight into my eyes. "Young one, do you have a dream?"

I stop walking and stare at her in surprise. "A dream?"

She nods.

My eyes wander to the sky in thought. I wonder if wanting to go home is considered a dream. I guess it could be, but I also have another dream—one that I've had before I woke up in this strange world.

"…Yeah, I do." I finally say. We start walking again.

Gram smiles. "What is it?"

I eye her warily. I'm not sure if I want to tell her. I have never really shared my dream with anyone, not even my own parents. I'm always afraid someone will ridicule it.

She sighs. "You can tell me, child. I won't make fun of you."

I bite my lip, still nervous.

"You know, when I was young, I used to have a dream too. I wanted to be a pirate. But everyone would laugh at me, because I was a girl, and girls weren't supposed to be pirates," she tells me.

"Did you?" I ask, averting my gaze to the path before us. We had just left the market streets.

"Did I what?"

"Become a pirate."

She laughs loudly. "Of course I did, lass. I chased that dream until I had it, right in the palm of my hand. And it was worth it, too. I had the best time of my life sailing on that ship."

I frown and purse my lips. "I don't get it. Why does everyone want to be a pirate? What's so great about it?"

"They want the adventure, little one. They seek the wealth, the fame, the power, and the romance they can find out on the seas, but nowhere else," she explains.

I stare off into the distance as it becomes quiet again. The birds tweet in the trees and the breeze grows colder as the sun sets beneath the small hills of Fuschia Village.

"…My dream is to go on lots of adventures. I want to see things and go places where no one has been before. And then I want to write it down. I want to record it all so other people can read it and experience it too. I want my family and friends and everyone important to me to read it," I finally say, breaking the silence.

Gram grins at me. "That's a good dream to have, girlie. It's good to know the young ones these days still have dreams to chase after."

Oh. She really _didn't_ laugh. Oh well, if she did, I would have kicked her ass to the next galaxy.

A small smile creeps onto my face as I nod.

Gram looks forward, away from me. "You should go out to sea. Travel the world and come back with a journal full of adventures."

This is so stupid. It's so cheesy and mushy. And yet somehow, it intrigues me.

It must be the cheese part that I like.

"Like a pirate?" I ask curiously.

She shrugs. "You could be a Marine. There are other options too, you know. Like a bounty hunter or just a plain old sailor. It's just my opinion that pirates are the most entertaining."

"Oh."

It becomes silent again. We are almost at Makino's now. I recognize the windmills and the design of the houses around them.

"…You must become stronger," Gram suddenly says.

Oh no. More cliché Batman Beyond lines. Are these taken straight from the script? Would that be considered as plagiarism?

I furrow my brow. "Huh?"

"In order to obtain your dream you must become stronger. Traveling the seas is dangerous. People die out there," she elaborates.

Um, no duh. I'm not stupid, I _know_ that.

"I suppose you are right," I say. "But how will I get stronger?" I say this kind of skeptically, because really, I hate exercise. There's no way I'm going to be Superman anyway. I'm not going to a muscle women, and second of all, there's no way I'm wasting my time saving other people when I could be eating ice cream.

I don't even know why I am going along with this crazy grandma. It's obvious she's a bit coo-coo, talking like this to a six-year old. Still, I can't help but believe her. It's like I just know she's right, and I really _do_ need to get out there and fight for my dreams. I believe her when she says I need to be stronger, even though it sounds ridiculous.

She stops walking and turns to smirk at me. "…I like you, hun. You're interesting."

I stare at her, bewildered.

"When you're ready, stop by my house. It's down by the small creek over there," she says as she points. If I squint hard enough, I can make out a small house in the distance.

Ready? Ready for what?

I want to ask, but when I look back, she's gone, and I realize I'm standing outside of Makino's house. That's funny. I never remember telling her I was staying at Makino's.

* * *

"Leiko!" Makino exclaims as she opens the front door and sees me standing there. "Where were you? I was looking all over for you!" She does not appear to be angry-- merely concerned.

My eyebrow twitches. Yeah, well I was looking for her too. She was the one who got lost.

I'm about to tell her this, when suddenly I see that look on her face, a mix between I'm-going-to-blow-up, and I'm-going-to-start-crying. See, in these situations is when my 'inner-nice', as I like to call it, and I feel absolutely compelled to be the bigger person (which is hard ,because in this body I'm quite small), and take all the blame. But really, it's not my fault, because seriously, it _never _is, but sometimes it's nice to see how happy it makes people when you apologize for absolutely no reason.

It's really kind of funny, actually.

I smile nervously and shuffle my feet. "I'm sorry. I got lost," I say, my voice a mere murmur. I look down at my feet instead of facing Makino. I'm kind of scared that she'll find out that I'm not really sorry. Getting caught in the middle of a lie does not usually lead to good things.

It's silent for a moment. Time seems to slow to a stop. It seems like forever as I stand there feeling awkward, staring down at the floor.

Then, the moment breaks. A pair of arms wrap around my frail body and gently pull me closer to a warm chest. It doesn't feel bad. It doesn't feel scary. It doesn't feel unwelcoming.

…It feels _good._

Hey, hold on a second.

Is she…_hugging_ me?

Shock flitters over my face. My eyes widen and my body tenses. She pulls me closer to herself. I want to pull away, but she feels so _warm_ against my chilly body. Slowly, my muscles relax and I allow myself to lean into her embrace. My feet hurt from walking so much, and I feel stressed out from all that went on today.

"I was so worried," she says, her voice a mere whisper.

"Sorry," I repeat. I mean, what else could I say? It's all your fault for wandering off and getting lost, and then making _me_ apologize? Somehow, I didn't think that would go over well.

"Do you know how scared I was? You, Ace, and Luffy had all disappeared on me. I didn't know what to do." Her voice cracks. "At first, I thought you may have found Ace and Luffy and ran off with them, but when I found the two in a restaurant, and you weren't with them…I…I didn't know where you were."

"I'm sorry," I apologize. I'm lying again. But it's okay, I guess. Besides, I've never ever had to apologize before. For my whole life I've never experienced what it's like to say sorry and actually mean it. But that's only because I've never had to, because really, it's never my fault. It's totally the _other_ person's fault, it's just that they don't realize it. So really it doesn't matter. "It's all my fault," I sniffle. "I should have been paying more attention."

Makino lets out a small, strained laugh. She pulls away and looks at me with a smile on her face. "You know, that's what I should be saying." She extends a finger and delicately brushes away the tears in my eyes. "It's silly, but sometimes, it's like you act older than you are."

I freeze. My eyes widen and my body turns frigid, like a deer caught in the headlights. But then I realize that Makino still doesn't know. She just thinks she's imagining it. That's good. I don't want her to know. She'll think I'm a freak and abandon me. Then I'll _really_ be homeless.

I quickly cover my shock with a small, but forced smile. I don't know how convincing I am, but I suppose it's better than just standing there like a Popsicle until she realizes something is wrong. I know Makino isn't stupid. Or maybe she is, because dude, everyone is stupid compared to my great prowess. But if she gets suspicious, then it's _all_ over for me.

"Come on, let's go in. You're probably tired," Makino says, ushering me inside.

She has _no_ idea. Just as she says like, it's like everything topples down on me all at once. My eyelids are drooping and I have to keep blinking to keep them from slipping shut. My head keeps lolling forward and I have to jerk it back up so I don't fall asleep. My legs feel like deadweight as I drag them forward.

I think I'm dying.

I stumble as I walk inside, almost immediately banging into something hard.

Huh? Where did that come from?

I glance around with half-lidded eyes. Everything is so blurry.

A giggle escapes my throat. Oh my god, that wall looks so funny-ish! It's just so white and silly looking, it makes me want to tickle it!

But oooh, me's too _tiiiired_.

"I wan'na go to _beeeeed,"_ I slur, drunk with sleep.

I look up at Makino with dazed, half-closed eyes and lift my arms over my head.

"Up," I mumble. Another high-pitched giggle rises from my mouth.

Makino chuckles into her hand and smiles warmly at me. A bubble of happiness rises in my stomach. Smiles are good. Smiles make Leiko very, very _haaaaappy._

She reaches down and lifts me up. At first, I squeal and laugh loudly as she tickles my sides. But eventually, that gets so, so boring and all I want to do is sleep and sleep and sleep like a lazy, lazy sloth. I giggle. Slothy. Slothy is so lazy.

I lean my head against her chest and feel myself slowly slipping away into the darkness.

* * *

End of chapter 5.

Please Review.

Does anyone else think Leiko's name, arrogance, is remarkably similar to her personality?

I think her selfish-ness of funny.

Tell me what you guys think will be her power. It can be completely far-fetched seeing as I haven't given you guys many clues yet, but I just want to see what you guys can some up with.

Its kind of a dead give away, but think about what happened in the first chapter when she first washed up and Ace and Luffy found her. She said something about how she could see her insides, how gross they were, and then how they reminded her of an **ultra-sound image. **

Think about it. I think its kind of obvious.

But review. Please.

-Cookie Krisp


	7. A Visit To the Doctor

**Author's Note: ** Here is chapter 6. Okay, I have no idea what the heck I wrote for this, so sorry about that. Lots of errors, also sorry about that. I was too lazy to proof-read. I apologize alot. Oh well. I was gonna make this two chaps but I wanted to speed the child arc up, because I always have a tendency to drawl things out for a real long time, so yeah. took me a long time to finish, so be greatful!

**A special thanks to all my reviewers! I love you guys so much! Yeah, just thought I'd say that...**

**Anyways...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6:**

It's the next morning, and I'm sitting in my new, fuzzy, bunny pajamas at the table, patiently waiting for breakfast to come. Okay, so maybe not _patiently_, but I _am _waiting, believe it or not. Besides, I'm not really hungry, which it kind of strange seeing as I ate, like, 5 whole countries yesterday.

Makino decided that she would take me to the doctor today, since we didn't get to do that yesterday. Ew. The doctor. Let's just say I am not looking forward to this very much.

The front door swings open, and—oh look, it's the black-haired brats.

I glare at them for a second before turning away. Dude, are they _trying _to annoy me? I mean, it's just _so_ annoying when someone walks in without knocking, and then makes you waste your time and energy on _glaring_ at them. That is, like, _so_ selfish. And I _totally_ don't have time to deal with that kind of behavior, because, like, _everyone_ wants my attention, and there are only so many people I can handle talking to at once.

"Hey, Makino-san," Ace says as he takes off his shoes on the rug.

I snap my head back around, gaping at him.

OMG, did he just put his shoes down next to mine? Like, OMG, he _totally_ did! Dude, that is, like, against the _law_. Can't he see that he is _totally_ invading my _space_? And besides, if he gets, like, even the _tiniest_ speck of dirt on my shoes, I will _kill_ him.

Seriously_, my_ shoes were there _first._

Luffy then walks inside with his dirty sandals, tracking mud inside. Uhm…gross, much? Well, at least he isn't rude like Ace, and didn't put his shoes next to mine.

He promptly plops himself down on the chair next to me. Dude, has he ever heard of personal space? I have a bubble- a really pretty purple one- and he is _totally_ in it. If he doesn't, like, _get out_ soon, I will have to _make _him get out. Because the whole point of a bubble is to have it _all _to _yourself_, and it totally loses its point if people get jealous and start wanting to pop it.

Seriously, I can't help it if I was_ born_ with this awesome talent to just know things, like how big my bubble is, and how to be super nice to stupid, demented people and stuff like that. I totally understand if you're jealous, but _please,_ keep it to yourself. I'm a very sensitive person.

His stomach growls, a sound I am quickly becoming familiar with. I swear, one day, I will mistake that for a lion and go berserkers on his stomach. The closest weapon would most likely be the Monkey Brat's (yes, I gave them nicknames. When? Just now) sandals, so I'd probably use those. Wait, but then mud would get on my hands, and that is like, _so _gross. I guess the lion would win then, since I don't have a weapon.

"I'm hungry!" he declares, as if his stomach hasn't already told us that.

I roll my eyes and start to pick at my nails.

Oh…ew, lots of dirt under there.

Ace frowns. "Luffy, take off your shoes."

"But I'm hungry!" he whines with a pout on his face.

"So?" I ask absent-mindedly, still absorbed in my nails.

I swear under my breath. Aw damn! Stupid dirt getting stuck!

"I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I know but I mean, what does that have to do with anything?" I ask.

I furrow my brow. Dear god, I wish I had my old body back. Forget what I said earlier, I was totally lying about how I was ugly. I was soooo pretty, like ten times better than anyone else. I mean, I hate this body with it's stupid pretty nails getting mud stuck under them. At least I had clean nails and boobs. I mean, now look at me. I'm a frickin' six year old who looks like a fricking' anorexic, with a weird mark on her back, ten billion scars, and DIRTY NAILS!

Seriously, I mean, who has dirty nails. Nails have to be clean. I don't care about the scars and stuff, as long as my nails are clean.

"I want meat!" Luffy demands.

"And that has to do with what?" I ask, exasperated.

"I'm hungry!"

I sigh and turn to him, abandoning my nails. I give up; they're too dirty to be saved. "Luffy, just give me your shoes, and I'll put them away."

"Okay!" He grins goofily and hands me his shoes.

I am about to get off my chair and walk over to the mat when it occurs to me that Ace hasn't moved from his spot yet. Well, in that case there is no _way_ I am walking over there. I glance over and sure enough, he's still standing at the front door, staring at me and Luffy with interest.

"Hey, Freckle Boy!" I call. Yes, I know his name is Ace. I just gave him a nickname. See, I have terrible memory and nicknames just help me get around.

His gaze wanders to my face. "What?"

I grin. "Catch!" Giggling loudly, I throw Luffy's sandals towards Ace.

His head snaps up in surprise. I watch as he reaches out and fumbles to catch Luffy's sandals.

When he finally manages to steady them, he lets out a relieved sigh and sets them down on the mat. His hands are now covered with dirt.

I snicker, muffling the sound with the sleeve of my pajama. "That's what you get for invading my shoes' space," I mutter darkly.

"Huh?" Ace asks. He raises an eyebrow at me. "You say something?"

I giggle and smile innocently at him. "Nothing!" I say in a sing-songy voice.

He fixes me with a skeptical look, but shrugs it off anyway. "Okay, whatever you say."

I watch him disappear around to corner, into the bathroom. I guess he is going to the bathroom to wash his hands off. Hey, wait a minute! I lean to the side of my chair dangerously, so far that it starts to tilt. Dear god, I hope I don't fall off. I try to peer into the bathroom, but of to no avail.

He better not use all the soap in there!

No really, I used that soap yesterday and it smelled _sooooo_ good. It was, like, the most heavenly scent I had ever smelled. The moment I smelt it, was the moment I fell in love. They call it love at first smell….or maybe it was love at first sight? Well whatever, I don't remember useless stuff like that. I only remember stuff like who's the most awesome person in the world, and who's going to own the world one day, because that's real easy to remember. Obviously, because that person is me.

Seriously, the world revolves around me._ I_ make the world go round. No, not money, not love, not any of that crap._ I_ do. If you deny that, you'll be denying that you aren't, like, ten billion ranks lower than me on the scale of coolness. And by the way, that's, like, a well established fact, so don't even try.

Oh, you know what I just thought of? I was just thinking that I should go look up "Awesome", and "Cool", and "Amazing", and "Beautiful", and "Kind", and all those words that are _so _me in a dictionary, because my name would totally be under them. Seriously, the only reason they would not be there, is if the person writing it is either totally retarded, or they're just jealous of me.

No really, I should be in the dictionary. I mean, I'm not even doing myself justice. I should be, like, the universes symbol. I'm just being modest and humble because you know, it's really bad to brag. I _hate _people who brag. They are just so full of themselves and stuff, that it just makes me want to slap some sense into them. I mean, they have _got_ to be blind to not see how worthless and trashy they are when compared to _muah._

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking of how much you wish you were me. Well, sorry. Blame your momma's and dadda's, 'cause this girl is rockin' this world.

Okay, so maybe not_ this_ world, but my world. Like, the _real_ world. Wait, what if this world is real too? What do I call my world then? Earth? Nah, that is totally _way _to boring.

How about The-Demented-People-Universe?

"Leiko?"

Hey, wait that would make me a demented person too, since I'm also from that world.

"Leeeeeiko?"

Then how about Leiko's World, because I am totally going to own the universe one day.

"_Leiko_?"

Oh, but that sounds so boring! I need something more exciting like Bow-Chika-Bow-Wow-Leiko's-Wolrd-Of-Supreme-Awesomeness-Where-Everyone-Knows-Leiko-Is-So-Ridiculously-Awesome-that-Its-Not-Even-Ridiculous.

"_**Leiko!"**_

I jump, startled. "Huh?"

Hey, wait a second! Why is the world tilting to the side? And why is the floor getting closer? Why is my chair falling over? Holy sugar bugger, I'm going to—

_Bang!_

-crash into the floor…

"Ow!" I yelp, my face smashing into the floor.

I feel my nose crack and a familiar warm liquid beginning to ooze. Uh-oh, nose bleed.

My butt is high up in the air, and now that I think about it, this is kind of a funny position to be in. I want to laugh my head off right now because I probably look like one of those cartoon people on TV when they fall on their face, only I'm, like, a billion times more pretty and awesome. Seriously, why do they get to be on TV instead of me? I must be so awesome I am blinding. Oh yeah, that must be why. That makes sense.

Slowly, I lift my head from the floor and sit up. I cradle my nose in my hands, trying to stop the flow to red liquid. I scowl as I hear Luffy's obnoxious laughter from behind me.

"Stop laughing!" I mutter angrily. I like it when people laugh, yeah, but like, not at _me._ At least, not unless _I'm _laughing too. Seriously, no one wants to hear them laugh unless I'm laughing too, because my laugh is _super _quadruple times more amazing. And as much as I also think that was kind of funny, I kind of have a bloody nose right now, and that is totally a _CRISIS!_

Okay, so yeah, the scars are like ten times uglier and more disgusting and serious and stuff, but those I can cover and ignore, but you totally _cannot_ ignore a bloody nose. It's like your nose is a blood faucet. And besides, it makes you look like a pervert.

Which, I am, and of course it just makes me all the more awesome, but the point is, the crisis with my dirty nails, and now my bloody nose is, like, way more important than any amount of nasty (and painful) scars.

Luffy just laughs harder.

I feel blood rushing to my cheeks in an angry blush. My god, I cannot believe this! How dare he laugh at me in my time of crisis? Does he not see my _nose_? "Oh crap," I swear as some of the blood escapes through my nose.

Luffy suddenly pauses in his laughing fit, just staring at me with his wide, dumb eyes. Oh! Is he finally going to stop laughing and give into my superior prowess?

Just as I feel a small, contented grin forming on my face, he bursts into more peals of laughter.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

I blush more, feeling my temper rising. "Okay, I can wait."

Well, no, not really. I really can't afford to waste my precious time here with a dimwit, but I'm just saying that because I'm hoping it will make him shut up.

"Ahahahahaha!" He doubles over in more laughter, clutching at his stomach and tears welling up in his eyes.

My eyebrow twitches. "Okay, seriously, stop laughing," I say.

He doesn't stop.

I close my eyes my eyes and exhale slowly. Okay, I have to be calm…calm…actually, what the heck? Forget that, there's no way I'm gonna be calm. I am Leiko the Awesome, and Leiko the Awesome does not get laughed at!

"Oh my god, shut up already, you dumbass!" I bellow.

He pauses again, blinks at my face, and then starts laughing again. He pounds his fist against the table.

I can literally feel the anger boiling up in me. The nerve of him! When I own the world, I will totally release my army of Barbie and Ken dolls on him and have them behead him. Seriously, he should know his place. An idiot, monkey boy like him doesn't even deserve to be standing in my _presence_!

I am about to reach out and slug the dumb brat in the face when suddenly a hand is placed on top of my head and ruffles my already messy hair.

"Hey!" I cry, jumping away and swatting at the hand.

"Calm down. Luffy's always acts like this. Even to the Mayor Woodslap," Ace says, chuckling.

Oh—It's Freckle Boy. Hey, when did he get back? And did he use all the soap?

"You mean he always acts like an idiot?" I snap, still riled up from Luffy's dang behavior issues.

And god, I am better than some mayor named after a tree. No one will even care about a stupid mayor when I rule the world! People will hail me and only me! That'll teach them!

Oh—and anyone who disobeys me will get their head chopped off my either Barbie or Ken. No one deserves to live after insulting _me_!

And besides, if they insult me, they've obviously already have issues. Like, real issues. Like, mental hospital issues, because the only way they could possibly convince themselves they are better than me, is if they are delusional. And I'm sorry, but they don't deserve to eat the delicious cookies –shaped like me of course—that I will spread across the world as a mandatory breakfast-food in my territory.

"I guess you could say that," Ace says, shrugging. He gazes at Luffy wistfully, who is still bent over laughing. "But he's not stupid you know." He shoots me a look. "Don't underestimate him."

And then that weird, thoughtful look on his disappears and he's back to normal. He turns to my place on the floor and offers me a hand. "Need help?" he asks.

"No," I reply, ignoring his hand. Instead I stand up on my own. I mean, I am Leiko and I am amazing, so I totally don't need his help. If anything, he needs my help. And besides, he totally does not deserve to touch my hand.

I shudder. Oh my god! What if I got cooties?

Inwardly, I slap myself. Cooties? What the hell?

Ace just shrugs again and picks up my chair, setting it into an upright position again, opposed to its place knocked over on the floor.

I glare at him, placing my hands on my hips stubbornly. "I could have done that myself!"

He raises an eyebrow at me, shooting me a skeptical look, as if to say 'Really'?

I stand firm in my belief that I don't need his help. No really, he can jump off a cliff for all I care. In fact, I hope he does. Maybe Monkey Brat will jump in after him, and so will all the other stupid people in the world and then we can all live happily ever after.

But oh wait, he's not jumping off a cliff so I guess that's not going to happen. Aw man, I was really looking forward to that.

Finally, Ace just shrugs, sticks his hands in his pocket and plops down in his own chair.

Weird kid.

Slowly, I walk over to my chair and sit down. For some reason, I'm not really mad at Luffy anymore, but he's also not laughing anymore so I guess that does kind of make sense. Also, my nose has stopped bleeding so I guess I'm happy about that.

Luffy bangs his fork against the table. "Food! Food!"

Makino smiles and brings out the plates, placing them in front of each of us.

I sigh dishearteningly and pick up my fork. Today, I'm not really hungry. Nothing seems appetizing, which is a surprise, as I have always, always been known for having a big appetite. Maybe the previous occupant of this body didn't eat a lot, and that's why I'm not hungry.

Oh yeah, I did have a theory that the body was a slave, right? And slaves don't eat much, I guess. Well, no duh, I look anorexic right now. I don't think my body's going to like the sudden change.

Um ew. I don't want a stomach ache.

I let out another sigh, staring down at the plate in front of me. I lean my head to the side, my cheek resting in my hand. My elbow is on the table, but it's, like, not rude at all, because it's_ me_ doing it, and I'm _never_ rude.

I absent-mindedly spear a few vegetables and bring them up to my mouth. I twirl the fork in front of my mouth. Even if I'm not hungry, I don't want to not eat anything, because then Makino might think she cooks horrible. I mean, even though I'm sure I can cook a million times better, she still cooks decently. And I don't want her to feel offended that I'm too awesome to eat her food, because even if they might be true, when I'm hungry I do have to eat something.

And besides, she's nice enough to care for me, even though she is totally jealous of me (I mean, who isn't?). How much better can someone get?

Slowly, I chew the food and swallow, forcing the chunk of food down my throat. I let out a sigh and grimace at the plate full of food. Stupid food. Do you think if I glare at it enough, it will suddenly combust and I won't have to eat it? I mean, my glare _is_ pretty awesome, and besides nothing is impossible. For _me_, anyways. But the problem is that I don't know how long I will have to glare for. So I guess that plans getting thrown out the window.

Maybe if I just eat half of it, it will at least look like I ate.

"Hey, are you going to eat that?" Luffy asks suddenly. He already finished his food. Wow.

I instinctively glare at him. It's _my_ food and I ain't gon'na give it to him-

_Hey_. _Waaaaait_ a _second_. That's _perfect_.

My glare turns into a brilliant smile. "Nope," I say happily, popping the 'p'. "Let's swap plates."

Luffy's eyes widen, like an ecstatic puppy's. It kind of reminds me of Kota, you know, my dog. But oh no, don't misunderstand. My dog is ten times cuter and more awesome, because you know, it's_ my_ dog, and everything about me is just _so_ cool.

Luffy looks down at his empty plate, and then glances at my full plate. He nods vigorously. "Okay."

I spare a wary glance at Makino. She has her back turned and is washing a glass in the sink. Good. She's not looking.

Moving quickly, I lean over the table, grab Luffy's plate, and replace it with mine. Wow, he should totally be grateful. I mean, that plate was touched by me. If I were him, I would be celebrating.

By the time Makino turns back around, I am sitting with a satisfied grin on my face and Luffy's empty plate in front of me, and Luffy has already gobbled my food down.

If you were wondering about Ace, he's sleeping with his face in the food again. I wonder if that's some kind of disorder. If it is, I feel sorry for him. I mean, he never gets to eat all the food he wants because he falls asleep. Or maybe he dreams about eating n his sleep. I bet he does. I mean, that's what idiots like him do. I'm sure Monkey Boy does it too.

"Alright," Makino says, taking our plates. "It's time to take Leiko to the doctor. Do you boys want to tag along?"

Suddenly, I remember the scars on my stomach and back and feel really sick.

The blood drains from my face.

Shit.

More witnesses.

* * *

"Makino!" I whine as we walk. I pout and tug on her skirt desperately. "I don't want to go to the doctor!"

"Why not?" she asks. She looks down at me with a gentle expression on her face.

_Why not? _Are you kidding me? No kid wants to visit the doctor unless the doctor gives them a toy afterwards. I'm sure the kids would prefer candy, but I think doctors are afraid about the whole no-talking-to-strange-people-with-candy-rule to do it. Besides, doctors are supposed to encourage healthy foods.

"…Doctors are scary," I finally say. Because they are.

But that's only part of the reason why I don't want to go. I don't want anyone to know what's under my shirt. I don't want anyone to see the scars. I don't want anyone to see the mark, either. I'm afraid they might ask me something, and I won't be able to answer.

Well, technically, I will be able to answer. I just don't want to, because well, I don't. Besides, it's none of their business. The doctor is probably not even high enough on the scale of awesomeness to talk to me without bowing, so why should I tell them about my theories and hwo I really am?

Makino sighs. "I'll hold your hand," she offers.

Inwardly, I scoff. It should be more like,_ I'll _hold _her _hand. I mean, getting touched by me is totally a privilege and I only give it to my favorites. So it really should be _me_ offering, not her.

But I don't want anyone holding my hand anyways. It's childish, stupid, and for wimpy people only.

And besides, what if she sees the scars? I mean, I still don't know what to do about the doctor, but maybe I can get Makino, Ace, and Luffy out of the room or something. Maybe I will knock the doctor out so he'll have amnesia. But then what? Tell Makino he went emo and punched himself in the head because he saw a poster of Brittany Spears?

Oh wait, that won't work. There is no Brittany Spears in this world. Well, that stinks, I was actually planning on carrying out that plan. It sounded promising.

"Hey!" Ace suddenly exclaims, wrenching me out of my thoughts.

I raise an eyebrow and glance behind me, where Ace and Luffy are walking side by side. Apparently, Makino likes to drag them along to wherever we go. Makino should have children. She'd be a good mom.

Ace and Luffy are both holding gigantic watermelons in their hands. Luffy's mouth is full of something tiny and black, which just flew out of his mouth and hit Ace square in the head.

Suddenly, Ace's glare turns into a devilish smirk. He starts to gobble down his watermelon, and for a second I'm excited by the idea that he'll fall over snoring, and Makino will have to take us back to her house. That way I won't have to go to the doctor.

But by the time he reaches the center of the melon, he still isn't knocked out. Dude, I hate this kid. He never does what I want him to. I'm staring at him in annoyance, silently chanting for him to fall asleep.

Instead, however, he starts stuffing his mouth with seeds like the ones in Luffy's chipmunk-like cheeks, and before I know it, Luffy and Ace are spitting out seeds at each other.

They better not hit me with one.

A strange feeling gurgles in my stomach, and it begins to hurt, but not really in my stomach—more in my chest, in my heart.

As I watch Luffy and Ace and their waging watermelon war, I can't help but notice how close those two are. They are brothers, bonded tightly together by the string that is family. I do not know much about them, and neither do they know much about me. And maybe it's because I'm super smart and perceptive and awesome and stuff, but somehow, I can tell that they are tighter than normal siblings.

As I watch their little watermelon seed fight, my heart clenches, and I feel funny. What is wrong with me? What am I feeling? I can't be feeling envious—no, that's not possible!

But when I look at them, I can't help but be reminded of the fact that I'm here all alone with no one I can talk freely to and no one I can trust.

Where is Rika? Where is my family? Where are they? Why are they not here for me? Why haven't they come get me yet?

Are they even missing me?

My mind is racing, and so is my heart. I can feel my heart hammering away in my chest. My gaze falls to the ground, but I'm not really seeing the dirt or anything. Instead I'm seeing images of my family, my friends—everyone I knew.

Surely they miss me. What was I thinking? How could they_ not_ miss them? I mean, I am nice, I am pretty, I am smart, I am modest, I am generous…heck, I'm even perfect!

…But what if I never see them again?

I remember asking this question that day, standing in front of a mirror, when I first found out about my strange new body.

This was reality, was it not?

I glance around, looking at the trees, the blades of grass, the bits of watermelon flying about, at Luffy and Ace and Makino. I feel the breeze brushing against my skin, sending an unpleasant tingling sensation rippling through my body as the cold seeps through the thin shirt I wear and nips at the fresh wounds and scars underneath.

The pain.

It is like a reminder that this is real—that it is not a dream. I resent it so much, those aches and pains and headaches I suffer from day one in this world. I don't want it to be real. I want it to be a dream, because in dreams, you always wake up. But reality? Not so much. There is an end-death, of course, but no one knew what was waiting for them there.

I sighed and kicked a pebble, venting my frustration.

It felt real.

It looked real.

It_ seemed_ real.

But _was_ it real?

…Who am I kidding? Of course it's real. Didn't I establish this a long time ago, that even if it is real, I'm going to find a way to get home?

I feel a surge of courage flowing through me, and for a moment I feel like I can do anything, but soon that moment is over, and I'm back to feeling hopeless.

I mean, I am awesome and all that, but it's not like I can just take a UFO and start flying around looking for another planet called Earth. Well, actually, seeing as how great I am, I probably could, but, like, I don't even think they have UFO's here.

Do you see my problem? The people here are ten times dumber than from my world, which just makes me a million times more smarter, but anyways, the point is, a bunch of stuff I know from my world is like, totally useless here.

And that totally stinks, you know?

See, I knew history was pointless. Abe Lincoln was never alive in this world, so how is that going to help me?

Yeah, well it's not, so haha Mr. Alcocan, my fifth grade history teacher.

Suddenly, something hits me in the back of the head. I stumble forward, nearly falling on my face.

Oh my god! Someone just threw a _watermelon _at me! Me! They threw it at _me_!

Who in the world would want to do that?

…Oh no! What if Mr. Alcocan came for revenge?

Muffled snickers come from the boys behind me.

Oh…I guess not then.

I feel the slimy watermelonon the back of my head. It slides down my hair and lands with a disgusting splat on the ground.

I freeze in my step and release my hold on Makino's skirt. My eyebrow twitches as I whip around and stomp towards Ace and Luffy. My eyes have a deadly glint in them as I glare straight into their eyes.

_Yeah_, that's_ right_ dudes. _No one_, and I mean _no one_, baby, can mess with Leiko and get away with it.

I mean, they threw a _watermelon_ at my _head_.

_Obviously_, if they wanted to throw something, they couldn't throw the _seeds_. _No_, the seeds weren't _enough_.

God, I hate jealous people! I mean, couldn't they at least save the watermelon for a poor hobo dude that would actually want to eat it? I can't believe this! I know I'm awesome and stuff, but they don't have to throw stuff at me just because _they _aren't!

Suddenly, my enraged expression twists into a smile, albeit, a forced looking one.

I look at Luffy and see that he is not holding his watermelon anymore. Gee, I wonder where it went!

"Luffy?" I sing, batting my eyelashes innocently.

"Huh?" he asks dumbly.

My eyebrow twitches dangerously, but I keep smiling. "Can I have a watermelon?"

He cocks his head to the side in thought. "Why?"

My mouth threatens to turn downwards into a frown. "I'm hungry," I lie smoothly. If there's anything Luffy will believe, it's that lie. Well, he'll probably believe anything I say, and probably everyone else too, but that's only because he's stupid. I bet I could make up a billion better lies that anyone else on this planet could, but that's beside the point. The point _is_ that I'm a wonderful liar and I deserve to be applauded for it. Oh wait, that's what I just said. Sorry.

Luffy grins goofily. "Okay."

Ace groans and grumbles something under his breath.

"What?" I ask, eyeing him curiously.

He just shakes his head. "Nothing."

I look back and Luffy, and guess what I see?

…If you guessed that I saw Luffy's peanut-sized brain falling out of his left ear, you are wrong.

What I really see, is 1 million times less likely to happen.

I believe that it is time for me to start arranging my stay at the mental hospital. What, you may ask, is the reason for this sudden decision?

Well, let's see…

It may have to do with the fact that there is a _SEVEN YEAR OLD KID WHOSE ARM IS STRETCHING ALL THE WAY OVER A FENCE, ACROSS A FIELD, AND INTO SOME RANDOM FARMER'S WATERMELON GARDEN!_

My eyes bug out so far I am afraid they will roll out of their sockets. Oh no, someone might take them and steal them because they want to be awesome like me! I hear myself start to scream as I run towards Luffy in some sort of weird daze.

OMG, I think I have gone into shock.

I stare at his arm, wide-eyed with my mouth agape, and then begin to poke it.

Wow, it's squishy. Kind of like a rubber band.

But I _hate_ rubber bands. They are devices used by the devil. Because back when I was in third grade, I used to love playing with rubber bands. That is, until one snapped and it shot right into my mouth. I screamed in surprise, which caused me to accidentally swallow it. That was my second trip to the hospital. My first one was when I was a baby, if that wasn't already clear.

I gape at him. "What the fuck are you made of?" I whisper, not even caring that I am swearing.

He grins widely and laughs. "Me?"

_No_, the bumblebee _behind_ you. I am too shocked to roll my eyes, so I just nod dumbly.

"I'm made of rubber!" he exclaims. "I'm a rubber man!"

My jaw drops. Rubber? You have got to be kidding me. My true enemy, the rubber band, has come to haunt and torture me as a brain-less seven-year-old boy who eats too much food.

I hear a snap that sounds remarkably similar to a rubber band somewhere in the distance. In my dazed state, I briefly remember that that was the same direction Luffy's arm was in.

My head slowly turns in the direction.

Um…Okay, why is Luffy's super long arm shrinking back to his body with a giant watermelon is his hand?

Oh yeah, I asked him for one didn't I?

Oh my god, I am so stupid. Why didn't I just ask Ace for one? He might be a selfish brat that likes to invade my shoes' personal space, but at least he's normal.

…Kind of.

Okay, not really.

You know what? Forget that.

And why is there a watermelon flying right towards my head?

I barely have enough time to scream before someone hard, and yet slightly squishy collides with my head.

"God, I know you think I'm awesome and all, but please have mercy on me," I mutter, feeling my body start to sway, before collapsing on the ground beneath me.

And then I am consumed by darkness.

* * *

"Oh dear…what happened to you?" a gentle, unfamiliar voice asks.

I groan.

Oh my god. _Go_ away. Let me sleep more.

I hear Makino chuckle. "Luffy accidentally hit her in the head with a watermelon, and she fainted."

Watermelon? _What_ watermelon?

"Sorry," Luffy says, not sounding sorry at all.

I groan and roll over on my stomach. My back was starting to hurt really badly. I guess it hasn't healed from whatever happened to it yet. I'm not surprised though, it looked pretty bad last time I saw it. Okay, I lied. It looked _really_ bad.

I feel eyes on me. I don't know how, but I'll just assume it's because I am awesome, because that's usually the reason for everything.

"Is she waking up?"

Uh…no way!

…Snore…

…zzz…

zzzz…oh look, I see ice cream!

…zzz….ooooh, yummy…hey wait! The ice cream man disappeared! Oh wait, it's Darth Vadar! And oh, he's holding a lollipop and swinging at me with it, like a sword! OMG, I'm gonna die!

…zzz—

Oh my god! Would someone please tell them to stop staring at me!

Like, sorry, but that feeling of people staring at me is seriously creeping me out. Do you think I am being paranoid?

….

….

…Okay, that's it! I'm getting up. I can't take the staring any longer!

My eyes snap open and bright light floods my vision.

Holy crap! I think I'm dying! It's the light at the end of the tunnel….or not. It's just a room. Great.

I squint my eyes and sit up.

I am in a small, white room. There is a white counter with brown drawers in the corner. On the door, a poster about health is hung. I glance down at myself and realize I am lying on a cot. Wow, this cot is lucky to be having me sleeping on it. I am so awesome, and maybe it will be touched by my amazing-ness.

I furrow my brow, confused.

Where am I?

My first thought is that I am in a mental hospital. But then I look around and realize that it only looks like a traditional doctor's office. Okay, so I guess no one has decided I am insane yet. That, at least, is good.

I tilt my head to the side in thought.

Maybe I'm at the doctor's office. Makino did mention taking me there, didn't she?

I guess Makino succeeded in taking me to the doctor. I wonder how I was knocked out.

The man who I heard talking before is dressed in a white lab coat. I think he is the doctor. He has curly brunet hair that falls in his face and mud brown eyes. I like his hair, but I don't like his eyes. They're a funny color. Poop brown.

Glancing over at Luffy, who is eating a watermelon, I feel my memories flooding back. So Luffy is a rubber man with rubber arms, and he knocked me out by hitting me in the head with a watermelon.

Um…Oooookay, that it is totally normal and happens every day—YEAH RIGHT! OF COURSE IT DOESN'T!

I cannot stop staring at Luffy. It is not possible for someone to be made of rubber. Well, at least it's not possible for a _human_ to be made of rubber. I'm sure a ball could be.

But Luffy's not a ball. He's a person. I think. I mean, he could be a monkey. But I am 100% sure that I was not imagining that stretchy arm thing. I'm not that crazy, at least, I don't think I am.

But the thing is, he doesn't _look_ like he's made of rubber. He looks like a normal person, beside the fact that he looks dumber than average.

I look him up and down. I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for, but I have a pretty good idea. I think I am looking for some sign that says Luffy is made of rubber. But there is nothing, and without proof, my mind won't seem to acknowledge it.

"Luffy?" I finally ask. I am still unable to draw my eyes away from him.

He looks up from the watermelon he is eating. "Huh?"

"Can you do that stretchy thingy again?" I question, trying not to sound stupid when I say that. Oops, I failed. I sound mentally challenged.

But it's okay anyways, since a bunch of famous people like Leonardo DaVinci and stuff were crazy. I get to join the crazy, awesome people club now! Yaaaaay!

Okay, no seriously. I'm hoping Luffy will say no, because then I can deny it ever happening. But even if I am crazy, I'm still a billion times better than any genius the world has ever seen.

Luffy grins, showing chewed pieces of watermelon stuck in between his teeth. I grimace. That is only a_ little_ disgusting.

"Sure!" he agrees happily. I wonder if he is just proud to show off or if he just likes doing it.

I'd like to say I have mind reading powers and stuff, but since I don't, I'll just skip that part and say Luffy is crazy. I don't need mind reading powers to know that.

He's just funny like that.

Luffy reaches up to his mouth and hooks his index finger around the inside of his cheeks. At first, I wonder what in the world he is doing. That is, until he pulls the sides of his mouth out so they stretch far more than any human's could.

I gape and feel my eyes widen. "Insane…" I whisper, ogling at him. "This is insane!"

Ace chuckles. "Calm down. We don't need you fainting _again_."

Blood rushes to my cheeks as I take a deep breath and rest against the wall. Rubber people? I groan and rub my temples. What is this? Wonder woman?

"Someone please tell me I am dreaming," I say, and then add, "or explain. Yeah, you can explain—if that's even possible." I let out another groan and squeeze my eyes shut tight.

"I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi!" Luffy exclaims.

What the hell? What is a fruit going to do? And who names a fruit the rubber rubber fruit?

"It's a Devil's Fruit," Ace says.

Yeah, because I _totally_ know what a 'Devil's Fruit' is.

Ace seems to sense my bewilderment and elaborates. "A Devil's Fruit is supposedly a 'cursed' fruit. If you eat one, you will gain a special ability, but you won't be able to swim. They're extremely rare and valuable, so don't expect to find one growing on a tree in the woods. Luffy ate one, and that's how he became a rubber human."

Beep beep beep. Warning. Too much information at one time.

That's it. I am officially insane. I swear to god, I will commit suicide if it's get me _off_ this island, _out_ of this world, and _away_ from all this _crazy_ stuff!

Okay, maybe not, but I would like to get away from this stuff.

But seriously, Devil's Fruits? Super powers? I have _got _to be dreaming. I can't believe I actually thought this was real for one second.

For a moment there I totally thought I was never going to go home, when I'm really just on my bed or something after watching some wacko cartoon with magic vegetables called 'Angel Vegetables'. Maybe that's where my brain came up with all this stuff.

I'll bet you anything this dream is going to continue until something really scary happens and that's when I'll wake up. That's what _always_ happens.

Oh! That gave me an idea!

I feel a grin spreading across my face as I struggle to keep from bouncing up and down on the cot.

I bet I could speed up the process of me waking up if I _create_ a scary situation. Maybe I could get myself lost in the woods and then make as much noise as possible until some dangerous animal comes along. I'm sure that would scare me awake. Or maybe I could just go find a dark alley and waltz down it until I find the next Hitler sitting on the curb with crack in his hand.

Sounds like a plan to me.

"You're weird," Luffy suddenly says. Why does he always knock me out of my thoughts with the stupidest of stupid comments?

I sigh, but can't help but feel excited at the thought of finally, finally getting away from this. I kind of wish Makino was real; after all, she is really nice to me. Luffy, on the other hand, I could do without. He is _so_ annoying. And _this_ is why I've decided I never want to be a babysitter. Kids drive me _crazy_!

…Never mind the fact that, technically, I am a kid now too. Nope, that doesn't count.

The doctor, whose name remains unknown, clears his throat. I glance over at him. Oh, right. I forgot about him.

I gulp, practically feeling myself sweating bullets. Why oh why can't I wake up right now?

"Makino-san, you mentioned a little health check-up, right?"

Someone please pinch me.

* * *

"Okay, now I will test your reflexes…" His voice slowly fades off, though I am sure he is still talking. His voice is drowned out, however, by the loud screaming going on in my mind.

Oh crap! Please say this isn't happening, please say this isn't happening—

Oh wait. It's not. Remember, Leiko, this is a dream, got it? A dream. Nothing more.

Well, it sure doesn't _feel _like a dream.

Yeah, yeah, I'm a bit weird. I can't make my mind up on whether this is reality or a dream, but I'm real indecisive like that. See, I've been wondering whether to call myself Leiko the Amazing or Leiko the Astounding for two years now and I still can't decide on either one.

But really, how am I supposed to know if this is real or not? It feels real but the situation is just so unbelievable there is no way I am just going to accept that. It'll take proof—real, _solid _proof to make me acknowledge this as reality.

I vaguely feel a hammer tapping my kneecap. My leg suddenly jerks and kicks up, hitting something.

What? I am slightly shocked. Did I kick something?

I snap back to my senses as I hear the doctor groan loudly and stumble backwards.

"Huh?" I say, slightly shocked. "What happened?"

The doctor gets a hold of himself and smiles softly. He holds a hand over his nose, but I can still see the red dripping through his fingers.

"Ew," I say, wrinkling my nose. "Nose bleed. I had one earlier today," I say sympathetically, thinking back to breakfast.

"Sorry, I should have been more careful," he replies, laughing nervously.

I nod quickly. "Yes, yes you should have." Inwardly, I praise myself and give myself a pat on the back. Wow, I am so kind and comforting. I should get a reward for that.

He raises an eyebrow at me, skeptical. What? Oh—maybe he's wondering if I'm real. I mean, I do have that kind of effect on people. I'm just that pretty and awesome and stuff.

"Well, at least now we know that you have very good reflexes, I suppose," he says, chuckling.

Ooooooh, so that's why. He was testing my reflexes and put his face in the place where my foot was going to kick. Wow, he's really stupid, isn't he?

I nod to him. "Well, of course I have good reflexes."

Because I am awesome.

And not stupid like him.

Seriously, what kind of idiot sticks his face where I'm going to kick? I mean, he might have thought I was so awesome he wanted to get kicked by me so he could touch me, but really, bloody noses are really nasty, so I don't know why anyone would want to get one on purpose.

The room is pretty much silent as the doctor starts bandaging his nose. I'm wondering if I broke it. Maybe I did. Oh well, it's all his fault anyway.

My gaze flickers to the door. Makino is waiting outside there. I'm glad I managed to convince her to stay outside, I mean, when the doctor starts the physical exam thingy, I don't want her to see the scars. But then again, I don't want anyone to see the scars, not even the doctor, but right now, I pretty much have to show him.

Maybe he will faint when he sees them or something and then I can just pretend he committed suicide because my awesomeness was too much for him.

The doctor grunts, and I pull my gaze from the door, back to him. His nose is now wrapped up in a white bandage, and the blood flow has stopped. Well, walah, a miracle. A bad one, mind you. I was actually hoping he would faint of blood loss before he could take a look at my stomach or back. But especially my back, cause you know, it has that weird mark on it.

"Okay, now that _that's_ over," he begins, "let's continue on now. Would you mind taking off your shirt, please?"

I cringe, my mind flung into panic. What do I do?

The doctor walks over to me and places a hand on the small of my back. His fingers brush against the opening of a fresh scar, not yet completely healed. A harsh pain erupts in my back, and I jerk forward, a sharp gasp escaping my mouth. The raw feeling in my back is returning full force, spreading the pain throughout my body from the aching in my head to the numbness in my toes.

His eyes widen as he hastily recoils his hand. Thank god. I close my eyes and breathe heavily, trying to hold in the pain. I knew he was stupid. But not this stupid.

Shit! I curse to myself as a ripple of pain shoots through my back. I straighten, my muscles tensed and strained, as if to restrain the pain. I bite my lip to keep from screaming. And then, finally, the pain starts to die down and I relax slightly, arching my back and flopping my head down. My black bangs fall forward and shadow my eyes.

"Are you okay?" the doctor asks, alarm flitting across his features. "Did I hurt you?"

I keep my head down, still breathing in harsh gasps. I clutch at my chest, where my heart is hammering away. It seems hopeless but I am trying to quiet my heart into a slower pace. The sound is so loud, that even though I know no one can hear it, I can still hear it, and it's giving me a headache. Okay, so maybe that's not what's giving me a headache, but it is getting annoying

Well, of course it's his fault! I didn't even agree to let him touch my back before he did it! I mean, he-llo? Invasion of personal space, much?

And I thought _Ace _was bad with the shoe thing.

"Yes," I whisper quietly. My voice is harsh and raspy. Ew. Like a frog's.

The doctor furrows his brow. "Yes what?"

"Yes, it is not your fault, and no I am not okay," I groan, panting slightly. Drops of sweat dribble down my forehead and land on the back of my hand. I shift to the side, leaning against the wall and place my burning forehead on the cool wall. My back burns, a scorching feeling like it's on fire—a fire that won't be put out.

I shudder in pain, biting down on my tongue so hard I think it's going to fall off.

I feel the doctors gaze boring into my back. His eyes narrow, and suddenly the doctor straightens his posture and adapts a more serious, professional look.

"Excuse me," he says.

I stare at him strangely. Huh?

And then he pulls my shirt up.

I gasp, letting out a cry of pain as my shirt scrapes against my skin.

"D-d-d-d-d-don't," I stutter, trying to speak through the pain. "Don't look," I finally spit out.

I try to grab at the cloth of my shirt to keep it down, but it is too late. The doctor's hand freezes in the motion of pulling my shirt up, his face frozen in horror and shock.

I hear the doctor's breath get caught in his throat. His face is dumbfounded and shocked. His eyes are the size of golf balls and his jaw hangs slack.

"What in the world…" he whispers.

It takes a moment to register the fact that he now knows about the scars covering my torso, and whatever the hell is on my back. My eyes snap open wide in terror.

O. M. G.

What am I supposed to do now?

He is still gaping at my back. I wince. And he hasn't even _seen_ the size of the scars on my stomach.

"Girl, what have you done to your back?" he asks, still shell-shocked.

I went emo on it and smacked myself with a whip because I couldn't reach my back with a knife!

Yeah!

…No.

I wish I could roll my eyes, but I can't. The pain is too much.

"Nothing," I choke out through the pain.

The doctor frowns. "Nothing? No, this is serious."

Uh, tell me something I _don't _know. I'm practically dying in pain right now, and you think I can't tell this is serious?

Suddenly, an excruciating agony flares in my back, spreading across my torso to my stomach. I hear someone screaming. It is a horrible sound, almost like that of a dying animal. It is not until my throat starts to burn that I realize it is me that is screaming. It is me that sounds like a pitiful animal. It is me.

Oh god, I hope Makino didn't hear that. Okay, so I'm still screaming and stuff, so chances are she will hear (as far as I know, she's not deaf), even if she's really stupid and it takes her, like, a whole hour to figure out that it's not that frog jumping up and down outside the window that is making that noise.

At least Ace and Luffy won't come bother me about it. Ace had originally wanted to stay, being more well-mannered that his brother, but Luffy dragged him off somewhere while I was still explaining to Makino the reasons why she had to stay outside, like doctor-patient confidentiality and stuff.

Oh boy, I hope the doctor doesn't tell Makino about any of this.

Maybe I can convince him with my amazing powers of awesomeness and then he'll forget all about it…

Yeah right! Of course he'll tell her! In his eyes I'm a six year old kid with fatal injuries! Who wouldn't tell an adult?

I gulp loudly and spare a paiuned glance at the doctor. What the hell? My back is hurting and all hei s doing is staring. Since I came here, and he already knows, can't he, like, _do_ something about it?

But to my dismay, the doctor still looks like he hasn't registered anything. He's still staring at my back like he's never seen anything like it before.

My fingers are clenched tightly in a ball, my fingernails digging into my skin. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, like it will block out the pain, but it doesn't. Nothing helps. Not a thing.

Dude, I know I'm awesome and my awesomeness is so great that it can be blinding, but god, I need help right now!

"DO SOMETHING!" I scream desperately. My eyes snap open. Tears of pure agony streak down my flushed cheeks. I breathe quickly and shallowly. My forehead burns like it is on fire. My vision swims and blurs. All the objects are blurred and unclear. I shut my eyes as tightly as I can again.

In the midst of the throbbing pain, I swear I heard something cracking…is that…glass?

Nah…it might as well be the skin on my lips, because I am biting down on them so hard I am tasting blood. Or maybe that's because of the pain.

Actually, who cares? Just get rid of the pain already, you dimwitted doctor, before I flop down dead on the ground!

"Hold on!" the doctor commands, struggling to maintain his calm. "You'll be alright!" he assures.

I don't believe him. The pain is so much I can barely hear him. He's just this one, tiny voice in the background, overwhelmed by all the constant stabbings and scorching hot pangs that scream at me from all over my body.

The doctors next words barely reach my ears. He says, "This will hurt, but I need to do this. Normally, I wouldn't' use this but…"

The smell of alcohol burns my nostrils. The pain dulls my senses, but even in my slightly dazed state, I know what it means.

I feel the doctor's fingers wrap around my arms as he struggles to hold me still. He yanks my shirt over my head and discards it on the floor. I hear the alcohol as it pours out of the bottle and onto a cloth he has in his hand.

My eyes snap open wide in panic.

"No! No!" I shriek. "No more pain! Please, no more pain!" I blubber and cannot stop the pained sobs that wrack my body.

I thrash around in his hold, but his hold on me is too strong. I feel tears leaking out of my eyes as I think of the raw pain alcohol on wound like mine will feel like. I can't..I won't…I…I...I..I won't be able to take the pain.

"I'm sorry," the doctor murmurs.

"_No_!"

I scream and scream and scream as loud as I can, as desperate as I can, as piercing as I can. I pray for someone to come, for someone to stop him, for anything..anything to happen, as long as it stops him.

_Crack!_

Suddenly, the loud cracking from before resounds through the room, and suddenly, millions and millions of shards of glass are shattering and sliding across the floor. A strong breeze blows in through the broken windows.

The doctor yelps in surprise and jumps back, startled. A piece of broken glass slides beneath his foot and he loses his balance. He falls, slipping and sliding towards the ground. The bottle of alcohol, wound disinfectant slips from his hand in the midst of the accident and it flies through the air, the top popped off, slowly, slowly soaring towards my back-

A hot, scorching liquid scalds my back as it envelops my skin in a strong flame. I feel like I am being burnt alive. My skin feels raw. The alcohol burns me. Tears flood out of my eyes as I sob hysterically.

The pain is too much. I'd rather die than feel this. Anything. Anything other than this.

If this is a dream, then god, please let me wake up.

The burning flames flare up in my back, and then my stomach, and then my whole torso as the scalding liquid drips from my arched back down my sides, to my scarred stomach

I jerk my head back and let out an ear-shattering scream.

I vaguely register the forms of Makino, Ace, and Luffy as they race into the room. Did they hear my screams?

I choke on a sob.

Will they put me out of this pain?

Gradually, the pain begins to fade. The flames seem to sizzle and then flare out as the alcohol is absorbed by my wounds. My skin still feels raw, but it feels strangely clean. The air stings as a cool breeze enters the room.

Slowly, I fade in and out of consciousness.

Sleep greets me gratefully.

* * *

I wake to the sound of Makino and the doctor talking.

Slowly, I crack my eyes open, one by one, and glance around. I feel groggy, and my mind is hazed over in a thick cloud of fog.

Huh? Where am I? What happened?

I blink the sleep out of my eyes. The room I am in is one that I recognize. Its white walls and cabinets, and the cot I am lying on are familiar.

Suddenly, I remember what I am doing here. Memories flood back into my mind—the doctor, my wounds, the pain, the alcohol, more pain, screaming, the windows breaking, Makino rushing in. I shudder and unconsciously reach for my back.

To my surprise, I find that my back, as well as my whole torso, is completely wrapped in bandages. I feel kind of suffocated, like I don't have any room to breathe, but I do feel better, somewhat. At least I can live without worrying about an infection.

I wince. Yeah, after getting freakin' alcohol poured all over my torso I better not have one. Besides, I thought doctors didn't use alcohol on open wounds like that anymore?

I tilt my head to side in thought. Eventually, I just shrug it off. I mean, come on, there's rubber seven-year olds, Devil's Fruits, and Pirate Kings in this world. Strange medical research and treatment shouldn't be surprising compared to _that_.

But really, don't I deserve better treatment than that? I mean, he could have at least numbed me or something. When I own the world, I will outlaw alcohol. No really, I will.

Actually, how in the world did those windows break? I briefly remember screaming, really, really loud, and then the shards scattering across the floor, but that's all. No bears clawing at the windows, no alien attacks, no nothing.

…Don't tell me _I _did that.

I mean, I know I'm awesome, but how is it possible that my frickin' scream can be so loud that it cracks glass? Seriously, I thought that was only for cartoons on TV and stuff.

But then again, isn't everything here like stuff I used to watch on TV back in second grade?

I sigh and shake my head. What the heck? Who cares, I'll just go along with it. Besides, it's kind of cool to believe I did it, and yeah, I am cool, so me and the windows cracking just match, and yeah. That didn't make sense at all, but oh well. My awesomeness makes up for it.

Suddenly, I remember Makino and the doctor talking in the other room. I wonder what they are talking about.

I cringe. Oh god, I hope he's not telling Makino what happened.

A memory flashes in my mind. Hey wait, didn't Makino enter the room sometime when I was screaming? I tilt my head to the side in thought. Yeah…she did, didn't she?

I grimace. Oh crap, that means she knows. What am I going to tell her? A flying purple people eater tried to kill me with its horrible purple color?

Well, she is kind of stupid compared to the oh-so-smart me, so maybe that would work. On second thought, I don't think it will. Besides, I don't even think they know what a flying purple people eater is out here.

She'll just think I'm lying. Which, I am, but, like, there's no reason for her to know that.

I hop off the bed and stumble over to the door.

Hey, why is the floor tilting to one side? And why am I falling? Whoa! Hey, watch it! I don't need to run into a chair. The heck, why is the world spinning today?

Whoaaaaaaa! I'm kind of dizzy.

I groan and clutch at my spinning head. I think the blood rushing to my head is making me dizzy. Aw man, I'm gon'na be sick.

Speaking of sick, what the heck happened to my torso?

Curiously, I wrap my fingers around the hem of the shirt and pull it up, feeling the fabric rise to about the center of my stomach, just above my belly-button. Haha, my belly-button's more awesome than yours.

Slowly, almost nervously, I pry at the corner of the bandages and lift a corner of it up, but only a corner. I don't want to have to put it back on.

I eye my stomach with a mix of disgust and frustration. Oh my god, I cannot stand looking at my stomach. It's just so thin and bony, and disgusting, and bloody—okay, so it's not bloody anymore, but still—and I just can't stand it! I look like an anorexic child model with an abusive father!

I mean, seriously, why can't I even_ look_ like myself? The real me is so awesome. I mean, this kid might have the most startling big, and blue eyes, with the most cute-yet gorgeous at the same time—face, but it's not me, and nothing that's me is awesome at all. Sheesh! I just want to be me, is that so hard to believe?

Can you not get it through your head that maybe, just maybe, I liked myself the way I was, but now—now, I could have the prettiest face in the world, the biggest pile of gold in the universe, and the throne of the entire galaxy and I still wouldn't be happy because I'm. Not. Me?

I don't need riches. I don't need the world. I don't need looks. I don't need anything to be happy. I'm awesome the way I am, and that's the only way that I'm going to be awesome. Because any other way and I wouldn't be me. And who wants to be awesome if you can't be happy doing it?

I bite my lip as my gaze scans the scars. Now that the blood and the crusty stuff is gone, it looks worse. It was as though the dirt and muck and sand was all covering it, and now—now that it's uncovered, it's shown it's true hideousness.

Nothing is healed. It looks no better than before, in fact it looks worse. But what did I expect? For those kinds of wounds to be healed over what—one little visit to the doctor and a short rest afterwards?

…Will my wounds ever heal?

I sigh. Maybe. Or maybe not.

I don't know. But who does know. I snort. Certainly not that stupid doctor.

I let out another exasperated sigh. I close my eyes and hold my intertwined hangs in front of my face, praying.

"Please god. Please, please, _please _let this be a dream. Please don't let this be reality," I whisper. And then I pray in my head that god hears this. I may not have been very religious but I believed.

I think bad to before the alcohol on my back. Right when I woke up on the cot in the doctor's office, I also thought about this being reality or a dream. I said I needed proof, didn't I?

Proof. I needed proof.

But what kind of proof? Did I need someone to tell me this was reality or did I need to find out some other way?

Some other way, I decide. That way _I'll_ be able to prove it to _myself._ No one else will have to prove it to me.

I needed a plan. I needed something that would make it final, that would clear up all the confusion and doubts and hopes all dwelling in my overcrowded mind. But what could I do?

Suddenly, a plan pops into my head. A grin spreads across my face and curls the ends of my lips up mischeviously.

Mmm…perfect. This'll work. I know it will.

The doctor's and Makino's voices from the other room reach my ears, wrenching me from my thoughts.

Oh yeah…_them_. I was going to eavesdrop on them, wasn't I?

I walk over to the door and press my ear against it. Okay, so eavesdropping isn't exactly the best of manners but hey, it kind of makes me feel like a ninja, and ninja's are cool. Of course, not cooler than me, but still. It's half way my spot on the coolness scale, and that's pretty high if you ask me.

For some reason, being sneaky is fun for me. I guess I get some weird thrill out of it. Maybe it's my 'adventure sensors' tingling, or something. I don't know.

"I wonder what happened to her," I hear the doctor say. He sighs. I raise an eyebrow. Wow, he sighs really loudly. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Yeah, well I'd never seen anything stupider than him before I came here. I mean, who the heck puts their face where I'm about to kick?

Makino sighs too. I frown. OMG, why the heck does everyone sigh so loudly I can hear it in another room? Maybe this door is really thin. Or maybe they're just getting old, 'cause you know how much old people sigh. And why does everyone seem so damn melancholy?

"I don't know. I didn't even realize she was wounded until we came here." She pauses for a moment. "Ace and Luffy just found her washed up on the shore one morning. I asked her if she knew how she ended up here, where she lived, and stuff like that, but she said she didn't know. She thinks she has amnesia."

I roll my eyes. Wow, Makino. Thanks for telling my life story with such enthusiasm. God, she degrades me to sound like I'm not awesome at all. I mean, can't she tell a story with at least a bit of spunk and excitement?

Like, really, she should've been like, "And then Luffy and Ace found her on a shore dying with the fishies, and then Luffy was all like 'Oh my god! Dead person!' and then he started being all like 'Wow! Zombie! Must poke zombie!' and then…" blah blah blah, you get the picture.

I groan and press my ear harder against the door. My god, I can't hear anything! Talk louder, you dimwits.

The doctor grunts. "Those wounds were very serious. So many scars and gashes on such a young girl." I wonder if he is shaking his head like I think he is. "And her back…the skin was burnt raw. It was so infected I had to pour alcohol all I over it. I didn't know what to do for a second—I was just so shocked."

I scowl. Yeah, well, he could've thought before he acted. I mean, I'm awesome, and he's not, but it's not like he has to like,_ kill_ me with disinfectant so he can take over the world in my place.

Makino gasps. "I had no idea. She seemed perfectly fine, before."

See, I am a _great_ liar. No exaggerations.

"I thought so too. That is, until I lifted up her shirt."

It is silent for a moment. I frown. Is the conversation over already, or are they just whispering?

Just as I am about to pull away from the door, Makino speaks up again.

"Do you have any idea where she got those wounds?"

"No," the doctor replies solemnly. "I can only say that they remind me of whippings and torture methods. Maybe she was abused." He sighs again.

Just as I think the conversation is over for real this time, the doctor suddenly gasps.

"Oh!" he exclaims. "There was also a strange, strange mark in the middle of her back. But I couldn't really tell what it was, other than there was a large orange circle in the center and something surrounding it. The skin around it was too damaged."

I suddenly remember that day in the bathroom. Oh yeah. Now I remember. That weird circle thingy with triangles all around it. What the heck is that, anyways?

Suddenly, I hear footsteps walking towards the door.

Darn!

I panic, scampering away from the door in a hurry. I sneak a glance at the door to see if anyone has opened it yet, but suddenly I feel my toes nudging into a pile of papers, and the next thing I know, I am tipping forward.

Oh god, please tell me I am not falling.

My arms flail out wildly, trying to catch onto something that will hold my weight. But all I grab is thin air.

Wow, thanks god. Glad to know you love me so much.

_Bang!_

"Ow," I moan, turning over and sitting up. Smooth Leiko, so smooth.

I crack an eye open to see a flurry of white papers floating to the ground all around me, like thick rectangular piece of snow. Only snow is much prettier. But I'm much prettier than snow so I guess we have now established our places on the pretty scale.

O eye the papers lying around me warily. Gee, I hope I don't have to clean these up.

I forget all about the doctor and Makino, just preoccupied by the thought of having to clean things up. Cleaning is so nto suited for someone awesome like me. I mean, I should totally be ruling the world right now, not sitting on the floor with an owwy butt.

Right, so Makino and the doctor don't even cross my mind. That is, until the door opens and there Makino is, staring down at my form on the floor.

I stare up at her with wide eyes. "Um…Ooops?" I say nervously to myself.

"Oh!" Makino exclaims in surprise. She kneels to the ground and frowns at me, concerned. "Are you okay?"

I frown right back at her. "Depends on what you mean by okay," I reply.

If she's talking about my awesomeness status, I am not okay. I am awesome. But if she is talking about my physical condition , then no, I am not okay. I thought we went over this already. To me, I look half dead. Oaky, maybe I look three-quarters dead. But the point is, I look dead, kind of like a skeleton, and since today is not Halloween, no, that is not a good thing.

I just hope she doesn't realize I was eavesdropping on her.

Makino smiles despite my answer and claps her hands together in joy. "Are you feeling better? You've been asleep for three days now!"

I gape. "Three days?"

How could I sleep for three days? That's, like, impossible! I mean, my best record was 15 hours of sleep. And here I am, standing here after three whole days of sleeping, without feeling well rested at all. Well, I guess that could be the bed being jealous of me, but whatever. I'm not even hungry!

I sigh dishearteningly. Right…'cause I'm anorexic….Not! I am not anorexic! So maybe the _girl_ was, but I'm not that girl! I am me! Got it? Me!

Makino nods. "Ace and Luffy wanted to stay, but I sent them home." She smiles at me. "But they came to visit you every day to see if you were awake!"

Wow, what stalkers!

I just stare at her. "Seriously?"

I know I'm awesome and all, but they don't have to stalk me! _God! _

Kids these days. I scowl. So _creepy._

Makino continues to smile at me. Do her muscles ever get tired of that? "They really care about you, you know."

"Um, sure," I say unsurely. Like I said, _staaaaaaalkers._

I sigh and stand up. "Yeah, well…Can we just go back to your house now?"

* * *

End of chapter 6.

Sorry if it was boring.

But review anyway. Please.

I worked really hard to make this one long so I want all of you I-alert-and favorite-but-don't-review-cause-I'm-lazy to get your fingers typing and review.

Please?

I'd love it.

All you have to do is type one word, like Great or good, or boring, or update or stop begging for reviews or whatever. Just do it.

Also, there is a second clue to finding out Leiko's powers in this chapter. It's the window breaking scream. The first clue was the ultrasound image in chapter 1, and now a window breaking scream. What do you guys think?

-Cookie Krisp.


	8. Nessie?

**Author's Note: **Okay, let's face it. I suck at updating. I constantly lack motivation, and I do whatever I can to stay away from my computer. I like writing, but it takes me a long time to lose myself in the story. Once I do, though, I write a lot and don't stop until I'm done. So yeah, I basically do my work in spurts, and I stink at updating. I try, but maybe not hard enough. Oh well, I think you're just going to have to get used it. Sorry... Please don't kill me.

Oh yah, my excuse. I had really bad writer's block. And it was so annoying. Because it was just this one scene in this chapter, right? So I kept rewriting it and rewriting it and rewriting it, and then I got bored of it and stopped writing this story for a while. And then I came back and tried to rewrite it again and then the same thing happened...So yah. Eventually I deleted it and started all over again. Made me really mad, because that was like, 7,000 words going down the drain. ...But it had to be done, I guess.

P.S- I feel really insecure about this chapter. Makes me embarrassed kind of. I feel like I did something wrong... I honestly don't know why. Yeah, just thought I'd mention that and see if it makes me feel any better...

**Disclaimer:I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

**

* * *

Recap of the last chap (for those of you like me who can't remember anything worth beans): **Leiko went to the doctor. She found out about the Devil's fruits and Luffy's rubber ability. The doctor saw her wounds/scars/injuries and poured alcohol (disinfectant) all over her wounds. She screamed really loud and the windows in the room shattered. Then she fainted, and when she woke up Makino took her home. Yeah, pretty uneventful now that I think about it...

**Chapter 7:**

It has been a month since my visit to the doctor. Almost every freakin' day has passed with me hiding under my bed trying to avoid Luffy, Luffy scaling the house from head to toe, convinced I am playing hide-and-seek with him, and Ace just laughing at me, because he is one messed-up brat, and he somehow finds his brother torturing me to be entertaining. But, besides that, and the fact that Makino has developed an extremely annoying habit of fussing over my health, everything has been pretty much normal.

Not.

"I want to go to the beach today."

Makino freezes. "Um…what?"

I glare at her back. Um, hel-_lo_? Like, no one ignores Leiko. Ever. Seriously, did she, like, not get the memo or something? "I want to go to the beach."

She turns to me and frowns. Lines of worry crease the smooth skin of her forehead. "Are you sure?" Her eyes flicker to my stomach, and I just know she's thinking about the scars. I glower at her, hoping she will have a sudden epiphany that having ten-billion super-deep scars is _perfectly _healthy, and totally the newest trend. Unfortunately, she doesn't. Damn. My glare melts into a pout. Stupid scars. Always getting in the way. Finally, her eyes travel back to my face. "But you—you're…you're not all healed yet!" she stutters.

She's stuttering. It might be because my wonderful bodily conditions kind of unnerve her, but…nah. I inwardly shake my head. _Obviously,_ it's because I'm so awesome she can barely form words when in my presence. I roll my eyes to myself. Like, duh. What was I _thinkin_g, it has _nothing_ to do with my scars. Right.

Nothing to do with my scars.

I stare at Makino, opening my mouth to say something, but all that comes out is a small, choking sound. A pang of hurt stabs me in the chest. It's sharp, hard, and pointy, like a spear-carved to succumb me to the most damage it can. I would like to say I have a shield of awesomeness that can block all ridiculously painful attacks to my wellness, but apparently, I don't. I don't have anything that can protect me from myself. My chest is like putty, caving in and allowing the spear of pain to pierce me in the heart. I struggle to breathe, but the thoughts that bombard my minds are unbearable. Oh god, I think I'm having a panic attack.

Makino gasps and rushes over to me. "Leiko!" she cries, dropping down to my side. I pull my hands over my ears and try to block her voice out.

The scars are never going to go away. People will always look at me funny. No one will ever look at me the same after seeing the scars that stretch across the damaged skin of my stomach and back. I'll never be able to wear anything that shows my stomach or back without being stared at. Never again will I be able to run across the beach in a bikini, proud of the skin I can show, of the healthy body I have. Because I don't. Have a healthy body anymore, I mean.

But that doesn't mean I'm not awesome anymore…right?

A small wail of despair escapes my mouth.

I just want my body back. I want everything to go back to normal. No more weird worlds, no more scars, no more painful doctor visits, no more odd flashbacks and headaches. I just want everything back the way it was. Is that so wrong?

I feel like crying. Hot tears prickle in my eyes, but I do my best to hold them back. I've already cried enough. I don't want to cry anymore.

So instead of crying I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and open them again. Makino is gazing at me with concern in her eyes. I wait for my breaths to become steady again, and then I gulp and clear my throat, ready to say something.

But Makino says something first.

"I'm sorry," she gushes, the words spewing out of her mouth so fast I barely catch them. "It's all my fault. It must be so hard on you as it is. I shouldn't be here rubbing it in." There are tears in her eyes, and I swear, it looks like her face is going to crumble away in depression. Oh gosh, she looks so miserable. I gaze at her with wide, surprised eyes. Um, why is she crying? Shouldn't _I _be the one sobbing? I mean, I_ am_ the one will the scars. She takes a deep breath and her words slow back to a normal pace. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry."

And then she drops down to her knees and hugs me.

I gasp. My body is frozen like an ice cube. Frozen, yes, but not cold. Makino is warm- I can feel the heat pulsating through her as she pulls me tight to her chest. I can't move, I can't talk, and I can't breathe.

It's like that until she pulls away.

"Um…" I breathe. I am at a loss for words. Is Makino trying to kill me by attack of the evil, breathtaking, and completely unexpected hugs? "Um…" I try again. Still, my tongue refuses to form words. My eyes widen in fear. OH MY GODZ! I knew Makino was out to get me! Now I sound like one of those retarded people that are so shocked they can't speak!

But it's totally not the same. Nope. Because they are retarded and can't speak. On the other hand, I am totally AWESOME, and can't speak. See, I told you there was a difference.

I take another deep breath and open my mouth to attempt speaking again. I never get the chance, though, because suddenly, the door flings open, and then Luffy and Ace come barging through.

Well, actually, only Luffy came barging through, because Ace, being the polite monkey he is, refused to act like his flea-brained brother and sauntered in after him like all good normal people do, but hey, who cares? Brats will be brats no matter how differently they act.

Besides, they totally ruined the moment. _Which_ moment? The awkward one between me and Makino. See, this is why stupid people shouldn't be allowed to talk to awesome ones. It always ends up so weird and awkward, because the stupid ones are all jealous and stuff, and the awesome ones are, well, you know—awesome.

I resist the urge to laugh as Ace slaps Luffy over the head for the rude entrance. Stupid Ace, he needs to learn that normal is so overrated. Weird people are like, so much more awesome.

A grin spreads across my face. But not more awesome than me.

Thoughts of Makino instantly fly out of my mind as Luffy calls my name. "Leiko!" he yells. Ugh. What the hell does he want?

I turn towards him. "What?" I grumble moodily. Like, dude. I was just hyperventilating, like, two seconds ago, and now I have to deal with this rude and stupid monkey? I totally have reason to be grumpy. Besides, I am_ so_ not in the mood to talk to these brats.

I glare at him angrily, but he just laughs and dashes over to me, oblivious to my rather apparent hostility. "Hi!" he exclaims in my ear.

I wince. Um. Ow. Like, _really_ ow. First Makino does the Hug of DEATH on me, and now Luffy is trying the Death By Annoying Screaming Chimpanzees assassination technique. Sometimes being awesome can be a bad thing. I mean, people are constantly trying to kill me, because they are jealous of my awesomeness. Like, how can you _not _feel sorry for me?

"Hi," I finally say when the ringing in my ear has subsided. Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Luffy hops back around and starts eating the refrigerator. Okay, so maybe not the refrigerator _itself_, but basically everything in it, so, if you ask me, he's eating the refrigerator.

Suddenly, I remember what I was doing before the brats interrupted and turn back to Makino. "So," I begin, "can I go to the beach?" I'm wondering why I'm even bothering to ask permission from a stupid, lowly person. Oh yeah, because if I didn't she would just send Luffy and Ace after me, and that would just be a disaster. I just might end up pushing them off a cliff.

Pushing them off the cliff. Ha ha, the irony of it all makes me all giggly inside. If only Makino knew what exactly I'm planning to do at the beach…

She frowns thoughtfully. I know she doesn't want me to go. Yeah, I just know it. She wants me to stay here, so that maybe some of my awesomeness will rub off on her. "Well…" she says. I feel my hopes rising. Oh, so maybe she has finally changed her mind? She bites her lip nervously. "I guess you could…I mean," she pauses, looking me in the eye, "you're not going to do anything dangerous, are you?"

I flinch. No! She can't have caught on to me! I mean, my plan is like, so, totally, top secret! And only the most awesome person in the world—me—can know it!

She narrows her eyes suspiciously. "You are, aren't you?"

Oops, I guess she saw me flinch. I laugh nervously, trying to shrink away from the suspecting glare she is directing at me. "Um… noooooooooo." My eyes waver, looking at the floor, the ceiling—anywhere but Makino. What? I can't help it. Suspicious people make me nervous!

"Leiko!" she cries. "Look at me!" Reluctantly, I look up at her. Her hands are on her hips, and there is a scolding look in her eyes, but when she sees me looking, her expression immediately softens into worry. Irritation tugs at me. Worry. She's always worrying. She doesn't need to. I mean, nothing bad could ever happen to someone as awesome as me! I shoot her an angry glare. Is she doubting my awesomeness?

"It's going to be fine," I say. She looks at me uncertainly. I sigh and resist the urge to roll my eyes. God. Stupid people are _so_ annoying. "I'm not going to do anything bad." That was a lie. Oh well.

I feel her staring at me, so I return her wavering gaze with my own steady one. She is waiting for me to look away, so she can proclaim me as a liar, but I don't. I look right into her eyes, stare straight down into her soul. I am not afraid. I do not fear lying, I do not fear guilt, I do not fear anything. I will not be the loser. I know I will not be the first to look away, and I guess Makino quickly realizes this too, because she closes her eyes and sighs in defeat.

We stay silent for a few moments. I can hear Luffy gobbling down food in the background, and I think maybe that annoying buzzing noise is Ace snoring, but neither Makino nor I make a sound. My mouth is pressed closed, and I keep my gaze pinned to Makino's face. I am waiting for her to say something. I am waiting for her to break the silence. She was the first to break away from my gaze, and now she will be the first to break this uncomfortable silence that weighs down on our shoulders. She will be the first. I know it.

Her will is not as strong as mine.

"…Leiko?" she whispers. Slowly, she opens her eyes, and this time, there is something new in them. Something that was not there before. I briefly wonder what it is. Determination? Resignation? Defeat? Sorrow? Guilt? Betrayal?...Fear?

I don't know.

"Yes?"

"Promise me…" she pauses and gulps, "…promise me...that you won't do anything stupid," she mumbles. "Promise me you won't get hurt."

Her gaze holds mine. Coal black eyes meet my own sapphire blue ones, and there is some sort of connection sparking there that I have never felt before. I feel like she can see me, see right through the lies that surround me, can see me right down the core. And for once in my life I think about not lying, about being completely honest-to-goodness, down to the heart truthful.

My mouth opens of its own accord. The words are right on the tip of tongue, just ready to flow out like a river. I can't, I want to say. I can't promise you that, because I'm going to do something stupid. I'm going to do something dangerous. I'm going to do exactly what you don't want me to do, and if I promise you that then it won't mean anything, because I am just going to break it.

Her gaze is locked on mine. I can do this, I tell myself. It can't be so hard to just tell the truth, can it?

I open my mouth, and the words are right there. Right there on the tip of my tongue. But at the last moment I chicken out. The hopeful glint in her eyes is too much. I can't do this. I just can't. My whole body freezes up.

I can't do this. I can't tell the truth. I have to lie.

I give up.

"I promise."

The look of relief in Makino's eyes is almost too much to handle. She believes me. She trusts me. But she shouldn't. I want to tell her not to trust me. Everything I say is a lie. Everything I do is a lie._ I_ am a lie. Never trust a liar.

The guilt tugs me down into the deepest, darkest chambers of my heart. I have never ever felt remorse for my actions, never ever felt regret. And yet here I am, so obviously wallowing in it.

What am I doing?

Where has the Leiko that doesn't care the hell about others gone?

And who has replaced her?

What have I become?

I don't want to change. I don't want to. It shames me to admit this, but I'm scared. I want to go back to being that awesome girl that doesn't give a fuck about what other people feel. I don't want to care. I don't want to feel. I want to live for myself, care for myself, and love myself and that is all.

There is no way in hell I am going to let Makino change that.

So instead of apologizing, of spewing my whole life story to the pathetic woman in front of me, I smile and lie. I fill her with a sense of false hope and push the guilt away from me, ignore it. I laugh and pretend to be someone I am not. I lie, and I lie, and then I lie more. I lie, because I can't tell the truth. I lie, because I'm scared. But most of all, I lie, because lying is all that I know how to do.

"Don't worry, Makino." I smile my best fake smile. "You've got to believe me. I promise I can take care of myself. I'll stay away from the water and just play in the sand for a while, alright?"

"Okay," she says. A small smile slips onto her face. "I believe you."

_But you shouldn't. _The voice in my head whispers. I ignore it.

I walk over to the door and slip on my shoes. Just as I walk out the door, I feel someone's eyes on the back of my head. Who?

I look back, but the door is closing. Through the sliver I just barely catch Ace's cold, suspicious eyes staring at me, and then the door is closed. A shiver creeps down my spine.

He knows I lied.

The thought that someone has the power to tell my lies from my truths scares me. It scares me that there is someone out there who I can't hide from, someone who can navigate through that thick web of lies I weave around myself, someone who has the ability to see straight through my facades and to the real me underneath it all.

No. No. He can't know. He can't.

He just can't.

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. I'm just imagining things, I tell myself. Ace is just an eight-year-old boy. I'm just being paranoid.

No one can see through my lies.

And with that in mind, I slowly begin the long walk to the beach, but my mind isn't with the action. I try to convince myself it's not possible, but the thought won't leave my mind.

Ace has infiltrated my mind.

Stupid brat, I am going to kill him.

* * *

When I arrive at the beach, there are suspicious looking clouds swirling overhead. The grayness makes the beach look dreary, but honestly, I don't mind much, since I'm not really here for the beach. I'm here for something much, _much_ more dangerous than building sandcastles and collecting seashells. Besides, just by standing here I bet you I made the whole beach look a hundred times better. I am just awesome like that.

"I think it's going to rain," I say to myself.

And just as the words come out of my mouth a drop of water falls on my nose. Oh! Another one. And another one. And then _another _one.

Soon, I am caught in a heavy downpour. Large droplets of water cascade down all around me. The sand is like mush under my feet, growing damp and sucking my feet in like quicksand. The gray ocean waves become angrier as the tide rises, quickly swallowing up the shoreline. A thick blanket of fog settles down all around me. Wind combines with the rain to toss my hair around and bite my red cheeks—like, wow, they must really have something against me.

In less than ten minutes, my clothes are completely drenched, my hair is sticking to my forehead, and I am shivering like an angry enchilada. Shut up, I happen to like that analogy.

"Gee, thanks for the free shower," I mutter sarcastically. I sputter as a wet strand of hair is blown in my mouth. Stupid rain. Stupid beach. Stupid clouds. Why does everything have to be so goddamn jealous of me?

I wince. Ow. No really, the rain is starting to hurt me. Or, more exactly, my wounds. The water is like little tiny needles pin-pricking the tender skin beneath my shirt. My god, why can't they just, like heal? Like, ow. It hurts. I wince again.

Ow.

"Ugh!" I screech in frustration. I throw my arms up in the air angrily. "This freakin' sucks! I'm soaked, I'm cold, my body hurts like hell, and I can't see a _thing_!"

And it's true, I can't. All I can see is a heavy flurry of water droplets cascading down on me like a water fountain. I squint through the thick curtain of rain, but the only things I can make out are the blurry outlines of the shoreline and a rocky path going up to the cliffs—

Oh yeah, I realize with a start. The _cliffs._

That's what I'm really here for.

My plan floods back into my mind, reminding me of my purpose here. "The plan," I grumble, rolling my eyes, "Right. Almost forgot about that." Quickly, I glance around, surveying the area. The ocean is far from calm, with vicious waves crashing down on top of sharp pointy rocks and dangerous currents that could probably wash me away in a second. Then, I look up at the sky. My eyes narrow. I hope the storm doesn't get _too_ serious. Otherwise, I'm not so sure my plan is still going to work at all.

I chew on my lip, worried.

Who knows?

I shoot a doubtful look up at the high cliff side. The top looks so far away. I can barely see it through the rain. My eyes flicker back to the ocean tossing it's waves up onto the beach. A sick feeling lodges itself in my stomach as I examine the sharp curves of the boulders.

Great. That could be me, impaled by a boulder, dead. Sounds pretty stupid to me, but hey, who says boulders aren't incredibly jealous of me too? I mean, who knows, they could be out to get me.

I let out a sigh. I just realized that I am shaking. I'm not scared. It's just the cold getting to me. I hope I don't get sick, or Makino might kill me—if doing what I'm about to do today isn't going to kill me first.

…No really, I'm not scared.

I just stand there for another few moments, closing my eyes and gathering my courage. This is kind of risky but…but…My fists clench and my eyes snap open, now hardened with resolve. I can do this. I force my freezing cold legs to run and carry me over to the rocky cliffs that circle the beach.

"I can do this," I repeat to myself out loud. I nod reassuringly as I jog over to the cliff side. "I'm awesome, I can do this."

I laugh tonelessly, though there is nothing funny about what I am about to do. I slide to a halt as I reach the path winding up the rocky slope of the cliffs. It is a narrow trail that leads up the side, so narrow, in fact, that if I don't press m body against the mountain side, I am sure I will fall right off the edge.

Too bad awesomeness can't save me from _that._

Resting my hand on the ridged mountain side, I use that to guide me up the treacherous slope as I climb. Fear and adrenaline course through my veins, and I am both powered and paralyzed by the feeling. But still, I keep moving, one step at a time, making sure to keep away from the edge as I spiral higher and higher away from the ground, and closer and closer towards my destination…

A feral grin spreads across my lips.

"Cliffdiving…Here I come."

* * *

I am nearly at the top when I realize something is wrong. I freeze in place, trying to keep as silent as possible.

I hear something. Straining my ears, I struggle to make out the sound.

_Flip._

_Flop._

_Flip._

_Flop._

I frown in confusion. What is that?

It is not the soft pitter-patter of the rain that I hear. Not the crinkling of my soaked T-shirt. And most certainly not the ragged breathing of my own self.

Realization hits me like an obese sumo-wrestler to the head.

No, it is the distinct flip-flop of sandals. It is a sound I find horrifying familiar, one that I find haunting me everywhere I go, one that I constantly try to ignore in hopes that it will go away, but won't…

Sandals.

"Sandals," I whisper out loud. "Sandals."

Or to be more exact…

"Luffy's sandals."

He's following me.

I gasp and whip around. Where is he? Where is that little brat? "Luffy?" I call.

The footsteps stop abruptly. "Luffy?" I sigh and cross my arms against my chest. "I know you're there, so come out wherever you are! I'm waiting…" I roll my eyes. God, stupid kids are so annoying. I know I am totally awesome, but, like, he doesn't have to follow me everywhere I go. Talk about stalker-ish behavior!

Suddenly, something barrels into me and knocks me off my balance. I stumble backwards, but the heel of my foot gets caught on a rock, and I slip. My feet slide out from underneath me, and I flail around helplessly, trying to grab onto something, but all I feel is empty air. Wow, god sure loves me, doesn't he?

My body crashes down onto the rocky surface below me, and a few rocks jut out into my skin. I let out a pained cry as a particularly jagged part scrapes against a newly scabbed over scar on my back. A puddle of dirty rain water splashes beneath me, spraying me in the face with mud. The soil is considerably softer from the rain, but the fall still manages to knock the wind out of me. My head aches and my back is sore—probably going to bruise tomorrow.

Frustration clouds my brain. I am like, _so_ annoyed right now! _Why_ am I always falling? _Why_ do I keep tripping? I know—the rocks have _got_ to be jealous of me! That's _so_ mean. Like, seriously, being jealous, is like, so totally _not_ a good reason to trip people. One day I am seriously going to fall and crack my head open. And that would so totally be, like, a _disaste_r, because then the future queen of the world would be _dead!_ Like, oh my gosh! How terrible! The world is completely and totally_ useless_ without my awesome presence! My death will be the end of the world—no, the whole universe! I know it will, I just know it. I mean, the whole universe revolves around me and only me, so how will anyone go on without the awesome Leiko around to save the day?

With this whole train of thought distracted me, I guess it is no surprise that it takes me a little longer than it should have for me to notice that there is something on top of me. But when I do, I really wish I hadn't because it sure was a lot less painful when I wasn't thinking about the pain. The heavy weight is crushing my lungs in and making it hard for me to breathe. Okay, no, actually, I lied. It's making it _impossible_ to breathe.

Um. Someone please get it off of me?

"Get…" I struggle to choke the words out. I swear, my face is turning blue. "Off…of…me…." If I weren't suffocating right now I would think that maybe having a blue face is kind of awesome. Well, not that my face isn't _already_ totally awesome, but, seriously, since God, like, apparently has some kind of grudge against me actually having my_ own_—not six-year old retard's—face, I think blue would be a nice way to spice up this face a bit. The alien look is supposed to be going into style in Japan next year.

In Japan. Not here. Not Lame Pirate Era World with crazy rubber kids and mutated fruits.

…Do they even have fashion trends out here?

I groan as the thing on top of me shifts its weight slightly so it's lying right on top of my stomach. Like ow. That is totally right on top of my scars!

"Get off…" I choke out. Oh my gosh, I think I'm going to die!

The thing makes no effort to move. Gee thanks, I know I'm awesome, but that totally does _not _mean you can suffocate me!

"Huh?"

Aw man, I know that voice. It's Luffy the stupid Monkey Brat. I furrow my brow, confused. Why did he have to run me over like a bulldozer-

Oh yeah, he was following me, wasn't he?

I bet you a million bucks he didn't notice I stopped walking and crashed right into me. You know, I think I'm right. Well, actually, I'm _always_ right, but for some reason I really do think I'm right this time. But I wish he would get off. Like seriously, I am _suffocating _here! Can he not see me? For Pete's sake, get him OFF OF ME!

"Luffy…" I groan. My chest constricts, and my throat is tight from lack of oxygen. I gag silently.

"Huh?" he repeats. Stupid brat. "Oh…ah…Leiko?" I grimace. Noooo, just some random person with the same voice as the most awesome person in the world.

Can I slap him in the face? Would that still be child abuse or would it not be, since now I'm in the body of a child myself? "Get…OFF!" I finally croak.

I feel his body shift and roll off of me, leaving me weightless and gasping for breath. My chest rises up and down heavily with each breath, thankful to be once again weightless and free of any extra packaging. Rolling onto my side, I squeeze my eyes shut tight and just concentrate on filling my lungs with the air around me.

I try not to think about the mud all over my clothes and face.

"Um…Leiko?" Oh yeah, Luffy, I forgot about him.

I flop back onto my back and crack an eye open. "What?" I snap. Hey, I just got run over by a six/seven/ two year old kid, I think I deserve to be a little angry! And yes, he does have three ages. Six, because that's what he looks like to me. Seven, because I'm not exactly sure about six.  
And two, because that's what he acts like. Well, actually, to be honest, he acts like a one year old, but hey, I'm trying to be nice here, so give me some credit, will ya?

He frowns. His hair is matted down on his head, each strand dripping with water. The usual straw hat that he always wears is still on top of his head, but it doesn't seem to be doing a very good job of keeping its wearer's head dry. It occurs to me that he is just as wet as I am, if not worse. His clothes cling to his small frame, drenched in muddy water. Dirt is smudged on his face and hands, and all over his feet as well, but it doesn't look like he cares at all, much less notices it.

"What?" I repeat again when he just keeps staring at me in confusion.

There is a slightly concerned glint in his eye as he sticks his lower lip out and bends down next to me on the ground. I stare at him out of the corner of my eye, waiting for him to answer me. Maybe he is going to apologize for nearly killing me. I mean, he is _such_ a dork. Luffy's so stupid, I would kind of_ have_ to forgive him-but only if he apologizes. See, I am _so _nice.

But that's only if he apologizes.

He opens his mouth to speak, and by now I am 100% sure he is going to apologize. Because seriously, he just looks _so _concerned, and besides, who _wouldn't_ want to apologize to someone as awesome as me? But it's alright, because I kind of, sort of- okay well not really- forgive him. Deep down in the nonexistent parts of my heart, I know he is sorry, and he didn't mean to knock me over-

"What are you doing lying on the ground?"

…Um…

…

…I'm waiting for his words to sink in…

…

…

..

…..

"OH MY EFFIN' GOD LUFFY! I AM GOING TO STEAL YOUR HAIR, TEAR YOUR PUNY LITTLE BODY INTO SHREDS, FEED YOU TO MY DOG, THROW YOU INTO A BUCKET OF HOT PINK PAINT, AND THEN GIVE YOU A BARBIE MAKE OVER-

What happens next is _so _not what I am expecting.

I jump up from the ground and flail around blindly, hoping that one of my arms will punch Luffy in the face, and not some other place I shall not mention. Luffy, being the dumb idiot he is, stumbles backward to avoid my flying fists, and promptly forgets exactly where we are.

And that, my friends, is not a very smart thing to do when you are about two feet away from falling off a cliff.

His sandal gets caught on the same rock that I stumbled over before. I am too busy throwing a temper-tantrum to notice the Monkey Brat is dangerously close to falling off the edge of the cliff. Yeah, maybe I should have been more observant, but still, it is so not my fault, because, like, yeah, I am awesome, and nothing is _ever_ my fault.

"—THEN I'LL PAINT YOUR FINGERNAILS WITH MY GRANDMA'S STINKY OLD NAIL POLISH AND MAKE TINY LITTLE FLOWERS WITH IT, AND THEN I'LL MAKE YOUR STUPID LITTLE SHIRT INTO A DRESS OF LITTLE GIRLIES THAT LIKE TO WIPE THEIR SNOT ALL OVER THEIR CLOTHES—

I'm stupid. I swear I'm not stupid.

…So then _why _in the _world_ did it take me so long to realize that Luffy was falling off the cliff?

I blame it on the six-year old stupid body affecting my awesome brain.

"Leiko!"

I freeze, looking over at Luffy. I am prepared to glare at him, to punch him in the lungs and bitch-slap him with all I've got, but instead of seeing his obnoxiously clueless face staring at me owl-ishly, all I see his black mop of hair falling over the edge of the cliff.

I gasp. "LUFFY!" I cry. All my anger whooshes out of me as I watch the boy I spent everyday for the past month avoiding disappear into the ocean waters below. Well, that's one way to get rid of him.

…

…

Wait, what?

I gape, my eyes widening and my body going stick still.

Oh. My. God.

That totally did _not_ just happen.

"NO!" I shriek. I stumble over to the edge and peer down into the blackness, but the rain makes it too hard to see. My hands fly to my face, covering my mouth in horror. "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no this can't be happening…" I mumble, shocked, to myself. My body is frozen in fear. My veins have run dry, the blood no longer circulating through my body. My face is pale, so pale, and I swear my heart's stopped beating.

Okay. Calm down, Leiko. Calm down. I take a deep breath, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. I gulp and continue anyways. Alright, so the situation is simple. It's just that this stupid kid just fell off a cliff that's like, a hundred feet above the ocean. And I don't really know if he can swim.

…

Okay, it's great that I know how to state a situation thanks to annoying English teachers, but seriously, WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO_ DO_?

I try to peer down into the waters below, but all I can see is a thick white haze. Damn it! Why didn't my English teachers teach me how to do _this_?

…And don't say I could jump after him. No way am I that stupid. I mean, I already told you how the world revolves around me, right? Right, so point is, my life is one million-times more important than that stupid brat Luffy's is, so there is no effin' way I am going to risk it trying to save him. Nu-uh, I don't do that super-man thing. I may be awesome, and sorry to squash your dreams and all, but I am not Batman.

Leiko the Awesome sounds better than Batman anyways.

Suddenly, I see a hand. Or, more precisely, Luffy's hand. It extends from the foggy sea waters below and grasps onto the edge of the cliff right in front of me.

Um…What the _hell?_

I just stare at it for a while, shocked. The fingers are white from effort as they clench around a rock that juts out of the surface. My jaw is dropped, hanging wide and open for flies of all sizes to fly through.

"…a hand?" I mumble, dazed. And then I remember. I remember the day I visited the doctor, the day I first witnessed Luffy's strange rubber powers. Oh yes, rubber…devil's fruits…

And then everything clicks into place. Oh! So Luffy is using his super not-awesome rubber power to stretch his arm up and grab something so he won't fall!

Relief floods through me. My shoulders slump forward and I collapse back onto my hands. My eyes close and I place a hand over my now-beating heart. Oh god, I think he gave me a heart attack! Gosh, he could have at least told me he wasn't going to die—

"Huh?" Why do I hear the sound of rock cracking? Why do I feel like there is an earthquake going on underneath me? Why is the ground shifting? Why is the ground beneath me dropping? Why is Luffy screaming?

Why am I falling?

Wait—falling?

My eyes snap open in alarm.

"!"

I am falling. Falling so fast. Wind whips my hair all around, in my face, in my mouth, into the air-everywhere. Rain stings my cheeks, sharp needles of cold wetness piercing my skin. My stomach drops with the rest of me and I have this sudden urge to retch. The chunk of ground beneath me crumbles into tiny specks of dirt and disappears into the water below. My eyes are just quick enough to catch Luffy's hand breaking off a small chunk of the falling ground and snapping back to somewhere far below me.

What's happening? What happened? Am I going to die?

I don't fucking know anymore.

When I hit the water, I am still screaming. It occurs to me that I should probably should take a breath before I sink, but by the time I realize this it is too late. I am already underwater.

The water is hard. I always thought water would be like a soft cushion underneath me if I ever needed to jump off an airplane for some reason. But I was wrong. The water is just as hard as land, if not harder. It's cold and wet, and it swallows me up with its waves, drawing me deeper and deeper inside of it.

I know how to swim. I do. At least, I should. I know I learned how to swim when I was eight. I was awesome at it, like I always am at everything.

But now, I can't. I can't swim. I can't.

I can't move.

My limbs are frozen to my side. I am so tired. So, _so_ tired. And it hurts. Everything hurts. My stomach, my back, my head…even my toes. Every single inch of my god damn body is screaming at me in protest. I can't move. I can't breathe. I can't do anything but sink.

The feeling is strange. It scares me. I feel like the water is pulling me. Dragging me. Eating me up. It is sucking the energy right from my limbs. It wraps its tentacles around me and draws the life right from my body. I can't stop it. I don't know how. But it's killing me. I know it is.

Get it away from me.

Get me the fuck away from the water.

That's what I want to say, but I can't.

My eyes are beginning to slip close, my mind separating from my body. I feel the blackness begin to eat at my blurred vision. I feel my body becoming numb. Numb. I am numb.

I feel so detached.

Suddenly, a big, gigantic shadow swims over me. It looms above me, and I can only make out small details from it. The water is so perfectly clear, that I may as well be looking through air, and yet I am so, so _tired_ that it blurs my vision like I am blind.

I wonder if I am dreaming.

The monster is huge. It is long like an eel. I begin to see more of it as it starts to swim close to me. Its jaw snaps open and closed right in front of me, as if it is trying to catch me. But I just keep sinking, faster and faster. It is almost as if the ocean and the monster are fighting over me. The ocean pulls me down into its clutches, just a millisecond too fast for the giant eel monster to sink its teeth into my flesh.

Somehow I find myself more frightened of the ocean than this creature. Why is that, I wonder. I feel weird. I feel like I am watching this as a by-stander, like I am watching from a TV. My head feels stuffy, liked it's clogged with water. I can't hear a thing.

My mind begins to wander. I think about the monster's teeth. They are sharper and pointier than any I have ever seen before-

_I see the dark shadow again, only this time it's right next to me. The figure is clear now. It is huge. Its jaw opens to reveal a mouth full of the sharpest teeth I have ever seen. Its body is like an eel's, but a gigantic, mutated one. I think it's taller than the Eiffel tower. _

_Is this Nessie? _

The memory is sudden and comes to an end as abrupt as its start. What was that? Nessie? Who is Nessie? Even in my dazed state of mind, I find myself vaguely confused. Another scene flashes in my mind.

"_I can't wait for my Sweet 16!" I scream, bouncing up and down beside Rika. _

_Rika looks up from her homework. "Why?"_

"_Mom and Dad finally agreed to let me go on that cruise in Britain!"_

"_The one you always day dream about?" she asks curiously._

_I nod furiously. "Yep! You know, the one in Lake Loch Ness!"_

"_Hm…" Rika studies the ceiling thoughtfully. "I wonder if you'll see Nessie."_

"_The Loch Ness Monster?" I question._

_She nods._

"_Nah," I say, laughing. "There's no way she's real. I bet it's just some bogus lie they came up with to attract tourists."_

_Rika shrugs and goes back to her homework. "I guess so."_

My head is pounding. I open my mouth to scream, but I have no more oxygen left. I cough and choke on the water instead. My temples throb and throb so much I can't think anymore. Maybe my head is going to explode.

The pain is just like when I had those memory flashes from the real owner of the body's thoughts, only this time they're mine. My memories—_mine_. Not hers. The giant eel monster is still there above me, trying to catch me in its jaws. It is almost comical how I am always one millimeter below where its jaw snaps closed.

Suddenly, everything clicks. I look at the eel monster real closely, and then I try my best to recall the fuzzy outline of the creature in that memory.

_Is this Nessie?_ I'd wondered in the memory.

Is _this_ Nessie? This monster in front of me? Snapping it's jaws? Too slow to capture me before the water takes me away? The famed Loch Ness monster?

I thought Nessie wasn't supposed to attack. I thought she was supposed to be shy or something. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I still am wrong. Maybe this isn't Nessie, I think to myself, but when I close my eyes, the blackness behind my lids becomes another memory.

_No one saw the dark figure that was Nessie until we rammed straight into it. And then it was all chaos. Nessie turned on us and destroyed the ship._

My eyes snap open, and I glance around in the water, as if the scene will reappear. It won't.

What ship? Is it the cruise I was walking about with Rika before? The one is Lake Loch Ness?

I am so confused. I know I should remember something—the memory is right in the front of my mind, but I just can't grasp it. The memories are all too short to make sense. I cannot piece them together. I do not even know why they are all coming back to me now. Maybe it is because of Nessie. Or maybe it is because of the familiar feeling of drowning. Perhaps it is that.

Suddenly, I see another figure approaching out of the corner of my eye. This one is human. It is small and lithe, swiftly swimming towards me. Luffy? No, too tall to be him. Still, it's got black hair like him…I wonder who it is…

And then, Nessie is gone. Just like that. The boy comes and Nessie retreats as fast as she can. Another memory bombards my hazy mind.

_Nessie is not facing me anymore. Nessie is swimming down, down, down like me. Suddenly, Nessie's head disappears and the rest of her eel-like body follows._

_That is weird, I think in my head. I must be imagining things. But then, as I sink lower, my hands start to disappear. _

Did that really happen? Was that scene a flashback, a memory? Yes…yes, it was. I don't know how I know, but I just do.

Nessie disappeared. I disappeared. Where did she go? Where did _I_ go?

A light bulb flickers in my head. I know I have the answer.

Here. We came _here._

And then I remember everything. Every little shard of lost memory comes flying back at me and everything falls perfectly into place. Like a puzzle. A very complicated puzzle.

I was on a cruise, and Nessie sunk our ship. I saw Nessie disappear. Then, I started to disappear too. I blacked out. And then I woke up here, stranded on this strange island in this strange world in this strange body and with really, really strange people, too.

And now, here I am. Drowning in the ocean with Nessie swimming around overhead. Somehow in my dazed state, I find this funny. I chuckle inwardly. Like, what the hell? Déjà vu much? The only difference is that Nessie got chased off by someone, something—human. Human like me, and Luffy, and Makino, and Ace.

But Nessie is no human. Neither is Nessie a dinosaur. Nessie is a monster from this world. Lake Loch Ness has some sort of crazy connection to this strange new world I have arrived in. And the great monster Nessie just got scared away by some weird hero, that, by some odd chance, came swimming along with the fishies to save me? Nuh-uh, dude. The chances of that happening are, like, close to zero.

But then again, since when has body-swapping and world-traveling been anything less than impossible?

If this is a dream, I want to wake up right now. Right now. Before anything starts to make sense. Because dreams don't make any sense at all, and if things here do start making sense, then this isn't a dream. It's reality.

Why have I not awakened?

I am still thinking about this when darkness begins to creep into the corners of my vision. The last thing I see before I lose myself in the darkness is freckles.

Black-hair, like Luffy, and…freckles?

…Ace?

And then I black-out.

* * *

End of Chapter 7.

Next week you get the last chapter of the childhood arc. Yayz, almost done!

Thanks to those of you who reviewed last chappy. Gave me motivation and boosted my lovely ego even though it took me a long time to update.

Okay, so since I did this with my other Shaman King fanfic, I might as well do this here.

Here's something to answer in your review for those of you people who never have anything to say:

**What is one thing you like about this story, one thing you hate about it, and one thing you think I should improve (or you think you do better and could offer me a tip)?**

Of course, you don't have to answer it, but hey, it would be nice if you would.

REVIEW!

-Cookie Krisp (And no, you don't get to eat me for not updating)


	9. Gram's Training

**Author's Note:** Hey. Yeah, I know I failed at updating on time. That was pathetic. I guess I am just not fit for deadlines. Darn. It's amazing I get my homework done on time. Anyways, you'll have to forgive me. This chapter was crap, it still is crap, and oh wow I'm swearing a lot, I'd better cut it out. Either way, read and review.

Oh yeah, if you want someone to blame for the late update, blame my older sister. She wouldn't stop bugging me about her fanfiction, 'cause she wanted me to help her with it. She made me help her plan the whole outline for more than half of it with her. It's in the HunterxHunter fandom, and if you want to read it, tell me. I'll let you know what it's called. My sis is a great writer, no kidding. Hate to admit it, but she's way better than me. Darn. And yes, half the reason I did not update last week was because I was feeling down about how much greater a writer she was than me. I was sulking in the corner. Yes, yes I am pathetic. I know that.

**Disclaimer:I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

Blackness everywhere. Clouding fog. Dazed thoughts. Immobile body.

Pain.

"**Breathe…"**

Voices?

Heavy pressure on my chest.

"**Come on, kid, **_**breathe**_**…."**

Breathing-Coughing. Choking.

Tightness in my lungs.

"**Don't you dare die on me now, Leiko." **

Cold. Shivering.

"…**I've got to get you to Makino…"**

Blinking.

Eyes opening.

Blurred vision.

Eyes closing.

Soothing blackness.

Eyes opening.

Ace?

Eyes closing.

Blindness.

Open. Close. Open. Close. Open. Close.

_Close._

"**Breathe…breathe…come on…"**

Pounding on my chest. Water emerging from my throat. Coughing. Sputtering. More coughing.

"**Yes, that's good…Cough it all up…don't swallow any more water…"**

Coughing…

_Whoosh._

Air.

Oxygen.

Labored breathing.

Breathless gasping.

Sighing.

_Relief._

"**Hey brat." **

Ears twitching.

Amused chuckles. **"Don't ever do that again, all right?"** Seriousness. **"Mark my words, if you ever do that again, I just might have to kill you myself."**

_Okay._

Faint smile on my lips.

Fading.

Slipping away.

Blackness.

_Sleep…_

_

* * *

_

"Mmmm…."

…Where am I?

My eyes flicker once, then twice, and then finally they open-only to be closed after suffering from a sudden bombardment of bright light. I let out a small hiss of pain, clenching my eyes shut tightly. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

I think I just went blind.

"W-who the fuck turned on the lights..?" I mentally cringe at the sound of my voice. Oh gosh, I think I just died a little inside. It's a good thing that I'm awesome, and no one could possibly think I sound retarded, because, like, seriously, I sound like a croaking frog. It really doesn't help that my voice cracked at the end. And, like, what the hell? I thought only boys' voice's crack. Last time I checked I am a _girl._

That is, unless I did that creepy body swap thing again and ended up as a seventy-year old grandpa. I shudder. Oh god, I hope not.

"Leiko?"

Startled, I jolt up into a sitting position. A wet cloth slides down my forehead and lands on my lap, but I pay it no mind. I whip my head from side to side, frantically searching the room for the mysterious person. "W-who?" I squeak, my eyes widening to the size of golf balls.

"Doctor Ivan," the person says. The voice is low and gravelly—a man's. Like, wow, I am so smart. I should totally be a detective.

My gaze sluggishly trails towards the direction of the voice until it lands on the speaker. Immediately, I relax, a sigh of relief escaping my cracked lips. I know this man. Curiosity quickly replaces my temporary relief. Him? I raise my eyebrows skeptically. What is he doing here? Did Makino call him in or something?

'He' is the doctor who treated my scars when I first arrived here, and has been carefully monitoring my recovery ever since then. You know, the one I kicked in the nose. And yes, he is that stupid. I always knew doctors were idiots.

"Why are you here?" I ask suspiciously. Why am I so suspicious? Well, that's obvious. I mean, I'm so awesome, people are _always_ stalking me. I have to be prepared for these kinds of things, you know. That's just what I get for being so much better than everyone else.

Doctor Ivan raises his eyebrows, surprised. "You don't remember?"

I frown. "Remember what?"

He furrows his brow, but doesn't say anything else. He stays silent, just staring intensely at the wall behind me. Confused as to what could _possibly _be more interesting than me, I twist my head around to look at the wall, only to find that it is completely and utterly_ blank. _

A blank wall? I frown. What's so interesting about a blank wall?

I mean, it's a blank wall. It's blank. I might understand him ignoring me if there was picture of me on it or something, but it's blank. There's nothing on it.

Now even more puzzled (and a tad bit more irritated), I rotate back around and focus on glaring at Doctor Ivan. But he's still staring intently at that wall, and for some reason is therefore immune to my Oh-so-powerful stare.

I glare harder. Ignoring me is so not cool. Maybe if I glare at him enough, he will get the message.

"Um…" I start.

He just keeps staring, lost in his thoughts. Yeah, maybe he's thinking really, really hard, and therefore cannot hear me.

Or maybe he's just demented. Yeah, I think it's that. I grimace, but decide to try again.

I stare at him pointedly. "_Um…._"

The change in him is so sudden I almost fall off the bed/couch thingy in surprise. One moment he was just lost in thought, and the next, he was standing, his face unreadable to even me.

"You should go back to bed," he suddenly says. His voice is firm and cold, chilling me to the bone.

I hiss in displeasure. "I am _not_ going back to sleep."

He sighs, exasperated. I glower unpleasantly at him as runs a wrinkly hand through his graying hair. "Yes, you are," he replies stubbornly.

I gasp. "W-what?" I gape at him, shocked.

"You know what I said," he says coldly. "Go back to bed."

I narrow my eyes at him, crossing my arms against my chest. Anger courses through my veins as freely as my own blood. "Did you seriously just, like, _order _me around?"

I can't believe this. This is completely and utterly absurd. I mean, whoever heard of a lowly peasant ordering around a queen like me?

He meets my fiery gaze with a frigid look of his own. "Yes," he says. "I did."

Something in me just snaps at those words.

Red seeps into my vision, tinting Doctor Ivan and the room a crimson, blood-like shade of scarlet. My body starts to shake, anger coursing through my veins. Fury spreads through me like wide fire.

"You can't tell me what to do!" I shriek. "You're not my mom, you're not my dad, hell—you're not _anyone_!" My throat is killing me, but I can't stop. "You're a nobody, so just go the _fuck _away, and don't even_ think_ about coming back!"

The room falls into a tense lapse of silence. The only thing I can hear is my own breathing, the furious racing of my heart, and the clock's quiet ticking in the background.

Time passes—I don't know how much—and little by little, my anger begins to fade. My heart stops beating like a drum in my chest. The redness begins to retreat into the corners of my vision. My resentment towards Doctor Ivan slowly loosens its iron tight hold on my mind. I regain the ability to think clearly.

I am still breathing heavily, my chest rising and falling with each heavy breath. I continue to struggle in containing the mass violent shaking of my body. I don't want Doctor Ivan to get the pleasure of seeing me all riled up.

With that thought in mind, I shut my eyes tightly and fall back down on the couch. Pulling the covers over my head, I roll over with my back towards Stupid Doctor Ian—or Iven, or Ivan, or whatever his name is- and pretend that he's not there. Of course, that's totally not as easy as it sounds, seeing I can _totally _feel his gaze burning a hole in the back of my head, and I have to bite down on my tongue to keep from releasing a snappy retort.

Control, Leiko. Control.

For some reason, the moment I flop my head back down on the pillow, my body is overcome with exhaustion. My limbs feel lead-heavy and my eyelids are super-glued shut. The warmth the blankets surround me with is so comforting, I can't help but sink into it with a sigh of contention.

My eyelids flicker closed.

It doesn't really occur to me until I'm already half asleep that I just did exactly what that doctor wanted me to do. I got angry, I tired myself out, and then I went to take my little nappy-wappy like a good little girl.

I would throw something at him, but he's already left. Damn him. And besides, I'm too tired.

My mouth slowly opens and lets out a large yawn.

Sighing, I snuggle back into the comfort of the blankets and allow myself to smile contentedly at their warmth.

Hm…maybe the doctor was right…

Sleeping_ is_ nice.

* * *

The second time I wake up, the room is empty, and the house is oddly quiet. My throat feels like sandpaper, and my eyes are red and sore.

I groan, trying to rub the pain out of my eyes. No surprise here, but it doesn't work. I wince as the light stings my eyes. In fact, I think I made it worse.

"Nice going, Leiko," I mutter to myself. Well, at least my voice isn't all crappy like it was when I first woke up.

Like, seriously, wasn't the doctor here a while ago? Couldn't he have at least done something about my pathetic state of body? I guess not. Stupid, disrespectful, unappreciative doctor.

I hate doctors.

I glance around the room, recognizing it as the one I first woke up in. Sure enough, there is a rack on the wall displaying photos of the red-headed dude, Luffy, a big crowd of crazy men, and Makino at the bar. I resist the urge to roll my eyes at how stupid they all look.

What retards.

I look down at the blanket covering me. It is the same one I had been given before, the first time I woke up in this strange world in this strange room.

_Déjà vu_, I think to myself.

You know what I just noticed? I faint too much. Like seriously, ever since I came here, all I've been doing is fainting. Granted, it could be because of all the demented people around here shocking me to death with their retarded actions, but I really should try to stop fainting. How to do that? I don't know. Maybe using my powers of awesomeness will help?

Stretching out my arms, I let out a big, long yawn and rub the sleep out of my eyes. A throbbing pain in my muscle suddenly flares up, traveling down my arm, down my back and then soon my whole body is throbbing heatedly.

"Damn!" I hiss. Wincing and recoiling, I soon find that, to my utmost dismay, my whole body is sore and aching. I grimace. Ouch.

Like, _major _ouch.

"Geez, can't a girl catch a break around here?" I mutter to myself. Like, oh my god, I _know _I'm awesome, but that doesn't mean I can survive days and days of non-stop pain and injuries! See, I _knew_ God hated me! I just didn't know he hated me _this_ much. This should be illegal! Crime! Sin! I'm just an amazingly kind, pretty, strong, and awesome girl. So, like, _seriously_, what did _I_ ever do to_ him_?

I snort inwardly, rolling my eyes in aggravation. I did nothing to God, that's what. He's just jealous. Like, he just doesn't want me to be more awesome than him.

My gaze slowly travels to my hair. It is a rat's nest, though not nearly as bad as it was the first time I woke up in this room. That, at least, is a relief. But that's probably only because this time it's short, and therefore less susceptible to dirt, sand, mud, tangles, and who-knows-what-the-hell-else got in my hair before Makino cut it.

I frown in confusion as I run a hand through my hair, only to gape when a whole bucketful of sand streaming out from my hair. Sand…in my hair….

I freeze.

Oh yeah. I _did_ fall off a cliff and into the ocean, didn't I?

A frown pulls the corners of my lips down. "Great," I grumble. "So, _now_ I remember. Great going, Leiko." I roll my eyes. "You're such a _genius_."

I groan loudly as the memories come flooding back into my mind like a barrage of bullets hitting me in the head. Yes, the memories hurt….or maybe that's just my head. I mean, I _did_ hit it pretty hard on a rock when I fell in the ocean...I think.

I furrow my brow, trying to reorganize my thoughts. Everything would be so much easier to figure out, if my head wasn't such a messy place.

I sigh. I should probably start at the beginning and work my way up from there, like all people with common sense do.

Not that I have common sense…I mean, nothing about me is _common._ I just have awesome sense instead, which is like, common sense times one hundred in awesomeness, but… yeah, you get the point.

I shake my head in an attempt to clear it. I really _do_ need to stop going off topic. I mean, everything just loves listening to me talk and babble and stuff, but sometimes I forget what I'm saying, and then I have a problem.

I sigh. "Someone tell me why, oh why I had to go falling off a cliff?"

Right, because Luffy fell, and apparently had something against me, because he brought me down too.

"I hate you, Luffy." Yes, yes I do. "And why the hell am I talking to myself?"

I don't know. I honest-to goodness do not know.

"Maybe I'm going insane?"

…Okay, that's enough. Can we just keep our thoughts to ourselves now? I mean, you never know who could be listening.

I sigh and rub my temples. Oh great, I can already feel the headache coming. Thinking is totally not good for me. See, this is why, when I'm queen, I'm going to have lots and lots of servants. Then I won't _have_ to think.

But until then…I'm doomed.

I let out another sigh. Okay, here goes nothing.

It all started with my plan. And my plan was perfectly simple. It was to go to the beach and jump off a cliff.

And no, I am_ not_ suicidal. I wanted to do it, because I thought I could finally settle my debate on whether or not this was a dream, if I jumped off the cliff. I thought that if I jumped off, and it was a dream, I would wake up. And if not, I would die…maybe.

But...there's just one problem. I didn't wake up. And, well, obviously, I didn't die either.

I wrinkle my nose in distaste. Well, actually, I _did_ wake up, but I didn't wake up to find out it was all a dream.

Instead, I woke up to find that it was all NOT a dream.

And exactly, _how _do I know that?

I sigh.

Well, just look around me. I'm still in this crazy room, in this crazy, house, in this crazy world.

I grimace. Well, whoopdeedo. Isn't that just _peachy_?

I sigh again and massage the bridge of my nose, trying to fend off the headache I feel approaching.

And yes, unfortunately, I still do have to finish sorting this all out. Just knowing that this isn't a dream won't make me any less confused. Okay, well actually, it will. But…I'm still really puzzled about what really happened during the cliffdiving event. It all happened_ way_ too fast.

"Um…Right, so anyways, I fell off a cliff," I state. "And…oh yeah, Luffy fell too." I laugh nervously. "I _totally_ forgot about that!"

_Not._ I mean, seriously, how could I forget when he was the sole _reason _I fell off?

I feel a glare making its way onto my face. The corners of my lips pull down in a frown, and I focus my attention on picking at a loose string on the blanket.

Why the hell did he have to go and grab onto the cliff? He should've known the rock was weakened from the rain, and it couldn't support his fat weight without collapsing. He didn't have to take me down with him too!

I take a couple deep breaths and massage my aching temples. Okay, I can be mad at Luffy later. Right now, I have to sort out my jumble of thoughts.

Continuing on now!

So, I fell in the ocean, and the water made me feel really, really drained for some weird reason. Like, it was like I totally could not move. At all. I felt like it was eating up my energy, if that makes any sense.

I frown in confusion. …Um…sorry me, but I really don't think that makes any sense, even to myself, and I think that really says something, seeing as _I'm_ the one who said it. My frown deepens, and my eyes stray upwards as I lose myself in my thoughts.

Um…Maybe the water out here likes to eat people's life forces up? I mean, they have freaking devil fruits with magical, unicorn powers, so why not salty people eating ocean water? I'll have to ask Makino about that later.

I freeze, my eyes widening to the size of pineapples. "Oh shit," I curse, "Makino!" I groan in despair and flop my head down in my hands. "Great…I cannot believe this! I _totally_ forgot about that promise…"

Oh gosh, I can just imagine her with a cooking pan…chasing me around the house…with a spatula…and throwing eggs at me too…with an evil look of the devil in her eyes!

I shudder, feeling the blood drain from my face. "She's going to _kill_ me!" I whimper. I mean, she must have found out by now that I'd almost drowned. The doctor was here, and someone must have called him to check up on me!

Crap. Crap. Crap. I'm dead.

But then I remember that I'm awesome, and I immediately breathe a sigh of relief, feeling the fear instantly vanish from my system.

I mean, Makino's rabid anger can't _possibly_ override my sheer amount of awesomeness. The difference between her, the totally_ not_ awesome, and me, the total QUEEN of Awesome is like, so big, I cannot believe I forgot about it. I mean, no one can hurt me, because I'm going to rule the world one day! It's my destiny, and no one can mess with destiny.

Unless it's_ me_ of course. I'm simply just too _awesome_ to be restricted by laws like _that._

Okay, I feel a lot better now.

Well, anyways, I'll think about what I'll do with Makino later. First, I've got to think about the cliff incident…accident…memory…event…thingy.

I purse my lips and draw the tips of my eyebrows together in a thoughtful frown.

Okay, so I fell in the water, I saw that big sea monster—Nessie?-, which made me panic, which made me have an annoying series of flashbacks about how I went on a cruise on Lake Loch Ness, almost drowned, and saw Nessie, which in turn made me realize how I got here, which then made me remember how I ended up here, which apparently had something to do with disappearing and ending up here, and blah blah blah blah blah.

Right. That _totally_ made sense.

Okay, so not really. I am _really _confused.

"This is so, freakin' frustrating!" I let out a strangled growl. Yeah, I know, _not _the most beautiful sound that ever came out of my mouth, but hey, at least it's me—an awesome person—doing it, and not Luffy, a totally dork doing it.

…I wonder if those memories I had earlier about Nessie, Rika, and the cruise ship really happened. I bet you they did. I mean, since when have I ever been delusional?

…

…

…Okay, don't even _answer _that. I really don't want to hear about how you think I'm crazy and all that wacko stuff, because I am so NOT insane! You're just being jealous, because like, you know you're not as awesome and amazing as me!…I think.

I tilt my head to the side, thinking.

Come to think of it, a drowning girl that just fell off a cliff probably doesn't have the clearest of minds. Maybe I _was_ hallucinating. Or maybe my mind was just making up those scenes because I wanted it to make sense…?

I growl. Yeah right, why would I_ want_ it to make any sense at all? If I remember correctly, I _didn't_ want it to make sense, because I wanted it to be a dream, and dreams aren't _supposed_ to make sense, now are they?

I purse my lips and stare up at the ceiling absent-mindedly. So then, if my subconscious mind wasn't making those memories up, then maybe they were real…?

Sighing, I flop back down on the couch and pull a pillow over my head, letting out a long, agonized groan.

"I hate thinking!" I groan, my voice muffled by the pillow. "Why the hell is God forcing me to do it so much?"

Oh yeah….

I let out another sigh.

He hates me.

I rip the pillow out of my face and throw it onto the floor.

…Life sucks. Everyone is always so _jealous_ of me. Back in my world, those ugly blonde bimbos in school would be like, all in my face and stuff, because I was like, so, totally _prettier_, and more awesome, and more popular, and everything they _wished_ they were. You know, this is about when I'm supposed to start crying and wallowing self-pity, because, oh sob-sob-sob I'm so lonely, and oh sob-sob-sob I'm so confused, and frightened, and scared for my sanity! _But_…

Nope. I'd rather not. Awesome people like me-we try to avoid that kind of stuff. 'Cause it is like, so, totally _ annoying_, and even though no one could _ever_ get annoyed with me no matter _what_ I do, because I am, like, so, totally awesome, I try not to overuse my advantage. I am just _that_ kind, and modest, and all.

Rolling onto my stomach and burying my head in the pillows, I shut my eyes tight and try to concentrate on thinking on anything _other _than my awesomeness. I mean, I love thinking about how awesome I am, but sometimes I have to think about other things. Otherwise, some mind-reader dude could walk in when I'm thinking about that, and he could, like, totally steal all the secrets to my awesomeness! –Not that he would ever be as awesome as me, though. I mean, I am just naturally like that, so like, no one could ever _copy_ me.

I sigh. _Anyways_, if I try to piece together my memories, I get that the gist of this crazy, wacko, totally impossible happening is that I was on my Sweet 16, which apparently took place on a cruise ship in Lake Loch Ness. I was just sailing along when Nessie appeared out of nowhere and decided 'Oh looky, big ship! Better eat that one!' then promptly proceeded to smash our boat up into tiny pieces.

I frown. Yeah, yeah, just peachy right?

So then, after that, I started to drown and saw Nessie disappear. I disappeared too, and then I woke up here on a beach, where Ace and Luffy found me. Makino took me in, and I found out I was in a six-year old anorexic/slave girl/extremely abused child's/half dead girl's body (fun, fun, yes so much fun). And then a month later I decided to go cliff diving, fell off by accident, started to drown, and then found out that Nessie also ended up here.

"Hm…." I mumble distractedly.

That, or Nessie was from this world to begin with. Yeah, that makes sense, since no one from my world could explain what exactly Nessie was. Then, mystery man with freckles shows up and saves me. I suspect Freckle Man is Freckle Boy, and since Freckle Boy is Ace, and Freckle Man is my savior...then I just got my life saved by a, like, eight or ten-year old retard? Like, what the hell?

I take a deep breath, and then slowly exhale through my nose. Okay, things are _starting_ to make sense…a little bit…okay, not really, but hey. I'm trying, okay?

So, Lake Loch Ness apparently has some sort of connection to here. I wonder if Nessie can travel back and forth easily.

I freeze, my hands frozen in their rubbing motion. A few seconds pass, and then, close my eyes and sigh.

You know, that statement sounds like it could totally help me back to my world. I mean, if Nessie can do it, I can do it too right?

Wrong.

I grimace. The side effects are too risky. I mean, I ended up in a different body this time, so who's to say I won't do the same next time? Returning to my Earth might now mean returning to my body. What if I end up in a baby's body? Even worse, what if I end up in a _boy's _body?

Going back to my own world suddenly doesn't sound so appealing anymore.

* * *

It's two hours later, and I'm completely fed up with staring at the ceiling. Seriously, there is nothing interesting up there, so why do I insist on looking at it?

I am NOT depressed. No really, I'm not.

…Okay, so maybe I am. Maybe, I said. MAYBE.

Sighing, I decide that I am going to get up. I refuse to sit on a bed all day and wallow in depression. But seriously, how does one go about making one's self happy?

"Well, first I could actually see if Luffy or Ace are here to make fun of…" I grumble. Not the best idea for cheering me up, but I tend to think being in stupid people's presence makes me realize just how much more awesome I am, and I guess that helps inflate my ego or something. Not that I'm arrogant, or anything. I mean, I am _perfectly _modest. I mean, look at me! It's not like I'm going around wearing a shirt that says I AM AWESOME, HEAR ME ROAR!

…That doesn't mean I didn't used to own one, though…

Sighing, I push myself off the bed and begin to wander around the room. After finding nothing of interest, I amble out of that room and proceed down the hall with the retarded hanging light.

By the time I reach the kitchen and find it empty, I know something is up. I mean, the house is like, _way_ too quiet. Unless everybody suddenly dropped dead like Ace does when he sleeps, I doubt any house with people in it could be so quiet.

And even then, they would snore.

I chuckle.

Hell yeah, I would know. Ace's snores have become a sort of background music for my when I eat my meals. Yes, it's a _very _annoying background music, but hey, at least it helps distract me from the rather disgusting sound of gobbling coming from the other side of me (cough-Luffy-cough-cough).

"Hm…" I murmur.

Silence…

"Hmmmmmmmmmmm…." I feel this unbearable need to fill the silence. It's unnerving. Not to mention completely awkward.

Silence…

I twitch. "…"

More silence…

"HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM….."

Effin' even more silence—

"EVERY AWKWARD MOMENT A NOT-AWESOME BABY IS BORN!"

…

…

…..

"Sorry," I say, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "It was too tempting. I just had to do that. And besides, it's not like I'm bothering anyone. There's no one here, and even if there were, they would have to regard themselves as lucky. " I grin happily. "I mean, they would get to hear my beautiful yelling voice! It sounds like a choir of angel's singing!" Suddenly, I frown. "Or, at least, it used to. I mean, when I was still in my own body. But still, isn't that like, isn't that like, so, totally, awesome?"

Silence…

A frown makes its way back onto my face, but I sigh and shrug anyways. Stupid silence. Stupid lack of people. Stupid Makino and Ace and Luffy for not being here when I woke up.

Stupid house for seeming so empty.

I sigh again, shaking my head to clear my mind. Walking up to the refrigerator on the wall, I am about to grab something to snack on, when suddenly I notice a white piece of paper taped to the center of the dining table.

Curious, I abandon the food in the fridge and instead wander up to the table. With a skeptical eyebrow raised and a puzzled frown on my face, I wonder if they wrote where the hell they went on that paper. Well, if I want to figure it out I might as well read it. Shrugging, I reach for the note to read it, only to find that, to my immense irritation, the table is too high up for me to reach without a stool of some sort.

"Damn," I mutter angrily. "This is one of those times I wish I were sixteen again and not six. Oh wait," I say, sarcasm tinting my tone, "I forgot! I'm _always_ wishing I was a teenager again!"

I roll my eyes and huff, but manage to swallow down my pride anyways and climb onto a chair. Once on the chair, I crawl onto the tabletop and sit there cross-legged. I let my eyes quickly sweep over the black words scrolled lazily on the white piece of paper now resting in my hands.

_Leiko,_

_Ace, Luffy, and I are out talking to the mayor about what to do about the Lord of the Coast, the Sea King monster that you saw in the water. It's getting a bit too bold and swimming too close to the shore waters, and people are beginning to complain. We'll be back soon, but there should be some food in the cabinet that you can eat if you're hungry. If you want to use the shower there is a towel in the closet next to the bathroom._

_Makino_

I just keep staring at the note for another few minutes, not sure what to do. Okay, so I read the note, and I know where they are….

Now what?

I frown, crossing my arms against my chest and chewing on my lower lip absent-mindedly. I don't really want to take a shower, and now that I think about it, I'm not hungry anymore either…

"What to do, what to do?" I close my eyes and sigh dishearteningly. "I'm so bored, and it's so quiet around here…" My eyes flash open and I pout. "I don't want to wait here all alone!" I whine loudly.

I know I'm talking to myself. I know no one can hear me. But I can't help myself. It's too tempting. Besides, I look like a six-year old, I'm in a six-year old's body, so why the hell can't I act like one too?

"But I'm sooooooo bored…." I moan again, furrowing my brow.

I set my chin in my hands and just stare at the blank wall in front of me, thinking. What can I do? If I were in my world, I would just call up Rika, my best friend, and we would do something together. Or I would take my dog outside to play.

"Funny," I mutter darkly, grimacing, "I really don't think there's a dog to play fetch with, nor a BFF to go shopping with when I'm all alone in the big bad scary house anymore."

Another few moments of unnerving silence pass, and then I let out yet another sigh. I feel like there's something I'm missing, something I should be doing, something I should know but forgot…

I tilt my head to the side, frowning.

Something I forgot…

My frown deepens.

Forgot…something…I forgot…

I grind my teeth together and bite down on my tongue in fierce concentration. It's at the tip of my tongue, just a centimeter out of my reach. "I know this…" I mumble, "I know, I _know_ this….!"

It was…it was…something to do with the day Makino brought me to the market….something to do with walking, and getting lost, and some creepy grandma—

I jolt with realization.

"Gram!"

A grin slowly creeps onto my face as I remember her words that day I met her…

_Gram stops walking and turns to smirk at me. "…I like you, hun. You're interesting."_

_I stare at her, bewildered. _

"_When you're ready, stop by my house. It's down by the small creek over there," she says as she points. If I squint hard enough, I can make out a small house in the distance._

"When you're ready…" I repeat quietly to myself, "stop by my house."

The grin quickly curls up into a smirk. "Sure, Gram," I say, snickering with excitement. "I'll come." I laugh joyfully—perhaps a little too joyously for a kid who was just sulking a few moments ago, but hey? Who cares? I'm an ADD kid with mood swings, but that doesn't make me any less awesome.

If anything, I'd think it made me more awesome.

I jump off the kitchen table and race out the door, not even bothering to leave a note explaining where I am, if they decide to come home before I'm back.

* * *

_Knock._

No answer.

_Knock knock._

Still no answer.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Still no effin' answer.

_**KNOCK KNOCK-**_

Oh, to hell with this.

"ANSWER THE EFFIN' DOOR ALREADY, YOU OLD BAT!"

The door swings open to reveal Gram, in all her short, gray-haired glory. She stands there with her cane and just stares.

I stare right back. "I'm ready."

Her mouth slowly quirks into a smile. "About time you've said that."

I laugh. "You gon'na train me?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Gram cracks an eye open and smirks. "Honey, do you honestly think I gave you that big long speech on how you need to become stronger, just so I could tell you to go away and don't come back?"

_Yes, _I think. "Maybe."

"…It's going to be hard, you know," Gram says. Her gaze finds mine again, locking her eyes with my own.

"I know."

"Really, _really_ hard."

I laugh. "I _know."_

She raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Do you?"

No, not really. I shrug, but can't help but grin at her. "Maybe."

"And you still wan'na go through with it all?"

_Do I?_

"Yep."

Gram laughs then, her eyes crinkling up with amusement. "Lassie, I like you." She chuckles again. "You got spunk, hun." Her eyes seem to twinkle with delight. "_Real _spunk."

"_Of course_ I do," I say, a smug slime on my lips.

We lapse into an uncomfortable silence, and it is just now that I realize the sun is setting. Red, yellow, and pink streaks paint their colors across the darkened sky. The air around me begins to drop in temperature, and I wrinkle my nose with distaste as several flies fly in front of my face. A bird chirps loudly in the tree besides me, singing its song loud and clear for the rest of the world to hear.

"…Well?"

My head snaps up, startled. "Well what?" I ask, frowning.

Gram smirks and pushes off from the wall she was leaning on. "I don't have all day to wait for you, lassie. Are you going to come in, or are you just going to stand there on my porch all day and all night?"

She doesn't even wait for me to answer. Instead, she just turns around and begins to hobble into the house quickly, far too fast for any handy-capped old lady with a cane to be walking.

It takes me a moment to collect myself, and when I do, I feel an intense need to grin. But instead, I glare. Why? Well, because I can.

And besides, I've got _spunk._

"Hey, wait up!" I whine. "You can't leave behind your new apprentice before you've even started training her!"

Gram barks out a laugh. "You're just going to have to learn to move faster, and that's that."

And without another doubt, I stumble into the house behind her, unable to contain the short bursts of laughter that escape from inside me. The door creaks and swings shut behind me, but I pay it no mind as I just focus on keeping up with Gram.

I have a feeling this is going to be the start of a very, very, very new life.

But…I…I…

I think I might be able to enjoy it.

…

"EW NASTY! What the hell are you cooking in here?"

"Language, child! And I am cooking chilies with banana peels, dried apricots, and a couple of fresh snails."

"OMG! That is _so _gross!"

…I take that comment back.

I'm going to hate it.

* * *

**This is the last chap of the childhood arc! Yayyyyy!**

Anyways, for the previous chapter I got a lot of good con crit, so thanks to all my reviewers for that. Unfortunately, it was not enough to make me update sooner. Yes, yes I know I am a terrible person. I'm SORRY!

Okay, so I have a question to answer in your reviews for this chapter too.

**How do you make a character well-rounded?Any advice, tips, or lectures?**

Yep, I have issues with flat characters. Anyone want to help me, their welcome to do that.

REVIEW PLEASE!** Also, if there is something you don't understand, feel free to ask, okay?**

I'm watching you...So you'd better REVIEW!


	10. I Hate The Ocean

Chapter 9:

Author's Note: Hi. I got this chapter up faster than the last one, if that makes any of you people happy. Anyways, this chapter is a little bit awkward if I must say so myself. I wrote this at like midnight, so...might be a little bit weird. Anything you don't understand, ask me. Oh yah, thanks to my reviewers last chapter. You guys are great. Oh yes, thanks to **Sophia10Soccor **for counting how many times Leiko used the word awesome. 43 in chapter 7 and 33 in chapter 8. Wow. Leiko really likes the word awesome doesn't she?

**Disclaimer:I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

**

* * *

Chapter 9**

Dear Diary/Journal/Stupid-notebook-thingy-that-totally-does-NOT-deserve-to-hear-my-awesome-thoughts,

Ten years is a…well, to put it simply, a _long _time. Spend it among enemies and acquaintances and the clock ticks slower. Spend it among friends and family, and the clock ticks faster.

Now, spend it among two irritating brats, one demented woman, and a senile grandma that likes to train your frickin' butt off every day, and the clock would probably start going a million miles per hour. But… now that I think about it, the clock would have broken by then (unless it was affected by my powers of awesomeness), so perhaps that is not an accurate assessment.

Well, anyways, if you _do_—for any odd reason—decide to spend ten years among stupid people, then I must warn you, a bunch of weird, very, _very_ strange occurrences are bound to happen.

_Hell _yeah! _I _would know. I've done it.

And, just to let you know, the last ten years for me have been pure, honest-to-goodness torture.

I'm just glad they're done.

You know, you would think that spending ten years with Luffy would get me used to his strange antics. But no, apparently not, because I still think he is the weirdest boy I have ever been unfortunate enough to meet. But…yeah, that's my luck for you. Ever since God started getting jealous of me, I haven't been having much good luck.

Darn him. I thought he was supposed to be fair.

Now that I think about it, the only time I was lucky enough to be spared another crisis, was when Ace decided to leave. That was, let's see…three years ago?

Anyways, he left when he was seventeen to become a pirate. Apparently, he's become pretty famous, but since I don't read the newspaper and all, I really wouldn't know. But he left, leaving me with only one annoying brat to tolerate.

But actually, you know, I think that might have been bad luck too. Ace was always really good at controlling Luffy when he had one of his really, really stupid moments. And trust me, he has _a lot_ of those. Now that Ace's gone, I'm stuck dealing with his demented little brother alone.

…Wow.

My life _sucks._

I believe that's not the first time I've said that.

You know, I still haven't figured out how to get home. Maybe I could be home this very second if I wasn't afraid of the ocean, but I'm still not willing to try my luck with Nessie's portal. I'm still convinced I might end up in some whiny baby's half-dead body again, and that would like, so, totally _suck_.

Like, just imagine it. That would have me going through my child years, my puberty years, and then finally my pre-teen years _three _times, before I finally reached my prime age of sixteen for the _third_ time.

Speaking of which, since I first arrived here I was in the body of a six-year old, and now that body has aged to sixteen. Does that mean that I am now twenty-six years old (the extra ten added to my previous sixteen), or does that make me only sixteen, just for the second time?

I don't know. My mind aged, but I kind of don't have my body to look at too, so…

Does that even count?

…I think I'll ponder that on a later date. Right now, Luffy is like, totally leaning over my shoulder and eating in my ear. And since that is like, so totally gross, I'm going to have to finish this right now, so I can punch him in the face or something. Gram taught me well. While Luffy may be able to punch me to the end of the world, and I may only be able to punch him to the end of this room, I have my other powers of awesomeness to rely on too.

Oh- and one last thing. Tomorrow, I'm leaving.

Leaving, like, not as in leaving this world (unfortunately). Leaving, as in, leaving this _island._

Yep, you heard me right. Luffy is seriously going to _drag_ me on his little pirate adventure thingy he is obsessed with. What did he want to find again? One Peach? Is that what it's called?

I don't know. I honestly cannot remember. My awesome memory skills can't be wasted on those trivial anyhow, I agreed because I thought leaving here and traveling the seas might help me find a way home.

….

Ugh! Luffy is so nasty. He's picking his _nose _right now.

…I so, totally DO NOT know him. You don't know how glad I am that I am not related to this retard monkey.

Anyways, I've got to go now.

Ciao!

Leiko The Awesome Queen Of Awesome And All Other Things In The Universe That Are Not Nasty Like Luffy

* * *

Packing with Luffy is very stressful. He never shuts up, and all he thinks about is food. I think his brain is programmed to only one setting: food. Or maybe he's just jealous. 'Cause, you know, I'm awesome and all that. Maybe he just wants to see if he can get on my nerves.

Yeah, well, good luck to him.

I'm not going to let him—

Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? The brat gets my nerves whether I want him to or not. I think that's his only talent. Now, if only he would stop using that talent on _me_, life would be so much better…

…I wish he just had an "off" button.

"Jeez, Luffy! We won't be able to take all that extra food!"

"What? But I'm hungry…"

"Do you think I _care_?"

"Yes!"

"Well, then you're obviously wrong, because I _don't_!"

"But I'm hungry…."

"Oh. My. God. I just _said _I don't care. If we take all that meat, how the hell do you expect the damn dinghy to float, when it's going to weigh a billion tons?"

"…"

"…Yeah. That's what I thought. I'm so awesome, you should, like, know not to argue with me. Because I'm, like, never ever wrong. And, like, you should so, _totally,_ have learnt that by now."

….

….

"…But I'm—

"No."

"But-

"_No_."

"I-

"NO!"

"-NEED MEAT!"

"SHUT UP!"

_BONK!_

"OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, LEIKO?"

See? I told you packing with him is stressful.

Don't you wish you'd listened to me the first time?

* * *

I lie on my bed with my arms folded behind my head, and stare up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Outside my window, night has fallen. The sky is an unpleasant inky black color, the lackluster canvas swallowing up the last bit of color and light from the sleeping world below it. It keeps going on and on and on for miles in the distance, lacking the presence of the usual bright stars that dot the sky above Fushcia Island on most nights.

Tonight, the pitch black darkness is broken not by the stars, but instead by the moon. The only brightness the round, white sphere has to offer on this completely starless night is slight, and yet it is enough. The moon glows softly in the night, emitting a thin, silvery-yellow halo of light around it, like an angel protecting the sleeping island below. A tiny sliver of moonlight is all that manages to slip through the small glass window at the side of my room. The soft, white light illuminates a thin path across my room, climbing through the clear, rectangular glass and slithering its way all the way up to my bed. The light is innocent and pure—almost serene.

I sigh.

No stars, tonight. No stars.

I frown. How strange. Usually, the sky is a lit up with thousands of those tiny white polka-dots. Where ever have they gone tonight?

Letting out a soft sigh, I turn on my side to stare out the dark window, allowing my tired eyes to trail towards the large white circle that is the moon. Tonight is my last night here. I wanted to see the stars one last time, but it appears they have disappeared for this night…What a disappointment…

I press my lips together in a thin line. Tonight, I doubt I will be getting much sleep. But that doesn't mean I can't try. Who knows? I might need the extra rest tomorrow.

Closing my eyes, I unfold my arms and let my head sink into the soft pillow. I take a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of roses and lemons I have come to know as Makino's signature "soap" smell. I try to ignore the aching pain in my chest, but it simply won't go away, instead growing in intensity until I can hardly handle it anymore.

But still, I bear it. Because I will manage. I know I will. Although the first days may be hard, I will get used to it. After all, I have gotten used to the feeling of dread and forbade I get whenever I think of the fading memories of the real world, of my real family, of my real home. I have become used to the feeling of emptiness in my chest I get whenever I think of the life I had back home compared to the one I am living right now. If I can get used to all that, why can I not get used to the idea of leaving Makino, and Gram, and Dadan, and all the other people I met on this island?

I groan, the sound muffled by the cloth of the pillow.

Sheesh, why am I getting so sentimental now? I mean, I always knew I was a nice, sensitive person, but seriously, Leiko, why now? Why now do you choose to feel like crying—

I grimace.

No! You will not cry! Awesome people do NOT cry. That is simply against the _rules._

Taking a deep breath, I squeeze my eyes shut and curl up into a tight ball. I hold the large pillow close to my chest and press my face into the cushion, trying to relieve the tightness in my chest that is slowly spreading to my throat and watering my eyes. Why is this so hard? All the people here are stupid, so why should I care?

I bite my lip at the thought of what will happen the next day. I am going to leave. Leave.

_Leave. _

I squeeze my eyes shut tighter.

Tomorrow, I'm going to leave Fuschia without saying good-bye.

….

…..Oh come on! Not saying good-bye is not _that_ bad! I mean, it's not like I even know that many people here.

I frown deeper.

Okay, so maybe I do. But…who cares?

I sigh as I realize the fingers clenched around the pillow are turning stark white. Slowly, I begin to pry my fingers from their death grip, one-by-one plucking them off as I go. I take a deep breath and try to relax, but it doesn't really work that well. In fact, it doesn't work at all, so instead I decide to choose plan number 2 and comfort myself. Wow, I am like, so smart. I actually had two plans!

….Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that, Leiko.

I sigh again and flip over onto my back, resuming my previous activity of staring at the ceiling. Boring, yes, but, good for thinking-also yes.

I wonder…will Makino and Gram get mad if I just up and leave?

I frown. Well, it's not like they didn't know it was coming. Especially Gram….and Makino too. I mean, Luffy's been screaming in her ear about how I'm going to join him for a while now. How could they _not_ know?

I close my eyes and relish the soothing blackness behind my lids.

Besides, I figure that if Makino and Gram are mad about it, they can just get over it. They're the only two I'm really close with. Of course, Ace and Luffy eventually introduced me to Dadan, they're care taker, and a couple other really friends of theirs, but I tried not to get too close to them.

I was trying to make sure I don't catch they're stupidity. I mean, I'm pretty sure it's impossible for someone as awesome as me to become stupid in any way, shape or form, but I'd rather not test that theory out. You know- better safe than sorry!

I flip over on my stomach and hug the pillow. Mmm…smells like Makino….

My lids begin to feel heavy and my head a bit fogged up, so I lie back down on my back and cuddle into the blankets.

Maybe I will be getting some sleep tonight after all…

* * *

I'm tired. My eyes hurt. My limbs are like deadweights in the water, my body is too tired to move. My eyelids stick together like glue, but I slowly pry my tired eyes open anwyays. The room is still dark. So, why have I woken up? I wince slightly as the moonlight stings my eyes. Ouch. Quickly, I shut them.

I am about to go back to sleep, when suddenly I hear someone's footsteps. I strain my ears and try to think through the fog lack of sleep has settled over my mind, but all I succeed in doing is making myself even more lethargic.

I struggle to keep myself awake. Who is walking around at this time of the night? Why are they coming close to my room? Why have they opening the door? Why have they tip-toed up to my bedside? Why have they gently placed their hand on my head and began stroking my hair lovingly? Why do they smell like roses and lemons?

I sigh in content as the person's hand runs through my hair again, the feeling almost…relaxing in an odd, but nice kind of way.

Why do they smell so much like…Makino?

I listen to the soft sound of the person's breathing. The sound of their heart beating in their chest is soft and melancholic, like the quiet pitter-pattering of the rain on a window sill. The person's presence is familiar, and somehow, it comforts me. A feeling of warmth I know couldn't have been from my blanket, begins to envelope me. Slowly, gradually, my doubts and fears begin to melt away into a feeling of utmost content, an emotion I have not felt in a while.

Tomorrow, I will be alright. I don't know why I feel this way. Maybe this is a dream. My mind is so foggy, I can't think straight. I probably won't even remember this in the morning…but this person makes me feel….safe.

I hear the person quietly exhale and step away from the bed. Their hand lingers on my cheek, and then silently ghosts away. The touch of their fingertips leaves a feeling of warmth behind, and I am tempted to reach out and ask for them to stay, but my mouth won't move. Too tired.

So, instead, I settle for listening to their footsteps as they walk out the room and quietly begin to close the door.

The last thing I hear before I fall asleep is the soft shutting of the door.

But before that, I don't fail to hear the soft words the person quietly whispers, the only sound in the dead silence of the night.

"You've grown up so much since I first saw you….And tomorrow, you're going to be leaving." A soft sigh, and then, "I can't believe it, but I'm going to have to let you go, now aren't I. Sleep tight, Leiko."

And then she leaves, her soothing words replaying over and over in my head like a soft lullaby.

_You too, Makino. _

I fall asleep that night with a pleased smile on my face.

* * *

I sigh. It's been two hours since we left, two hours since I got chased around the island by Gram after she found out I was leaving today and didn't tell her, two hours since we got sent off by Makino into the vast wide ocean, and two hours since I've seen land.

Wow. Peachy.

I furrow my brow… We're in the middle of nowhere. I really can't see anything. No land. No ships. No nothing. …Well, actually, I see the stupid dinghy I'm on, the ocean around us, and Luffy, but, seriously, who cares about them?

More importantly, do you think we are lost? I sigh.

…Already?

I frown at the endless sea of blue before me. Did we pack a compass? Can Luffy navigate? Well, no…that's pretty obvious.

Can _I _navigate?

I frown deeper.

No.

"Luffy?" I ask sweetly.

He looks over at me curiously. "Hm?"

I smile at him innocently, my grin wide and fake. It does not reach my eyes, which are currently being used to gaze at him accusingly. "Where are we?"

He stares at me blankly.

…

…..

…..

He grins.

"I dunno."

...

…

….

"LUFFY!"

* * *

It's been two days.

Water…seagulls…too much sun…no food…whirlpools…storms…boredom…irritation…too much Luffy…

I Hate. The. Sea.

Someone remind me why the hell I'm sailing on it, then?

…Well, I used to like it, and maybe that's why I decided to go on a cruise for my Sweet 16. That has _got_ to be the stupidest thing I have ever chosen to do in my whole entire two lifetimes. So, now I just try to stay away from salt-waters, because after drowning once, and almost reliving the same experience for a second time, I do not find the ocean very appealing, thank you very much.

But, apparently I haven't really learnt my lesson, because here I am now, two days into my voyage with Luffy, two days since I've seen land, and two days since Luffy and I have been stranded in the middle of nowhere. But I kind of suspect that we are actually not going anywhere, since the wind has been annoyingly calm. So, we're probably still pretty close to Fuschia.

Luffy and I bought a dinghy…somehow or other….okay, no actually Luffy just stole it from the harbor. I really, honestly, have no idea how he got it. And even more honestly, I really don't care.

If I could still swim, I swear I'd jump out of the stupid dinghy and swim back to land. But no, apparently not, so I'm stuck.

Damn.

I sigh."You know what?"

Luffy frowns. "Meat?"

I groan. "No."

His frown deepens in concentration. "…Meat?"

"NO!"

"….More meat?"

I sigh and run a hand over my face. Why, oh why did I ever agree to come with Luffy on his journey? I'm going to be dead from major annoyance before we even get to the next island.

Or maybe that was Luffy's plan to begin with. Maybe he's smarter than I give him credit for…

I narrow my eyes, watching Luffy's dumb-looking stare confusedly at me. …Nah, no way. No matter how many times I look at him, he _still_ looks stupid.

I drop my hand to my side and sigh again. "Would you just…please stop thinking about meat?"

"Why?"

I roll my eyes. See? He's stupid, there's nothing more to it. "Because I was going to tell you something else, but since you keep mentioning meat, you've made me forget what I was going to say. And now I'm totally off topic and—

I jolt into a sitting position. "Oh yeah!" I exclaim, my eyes wide with realization. "_Now _I remember!"

Luffy bolts out of his sitting position and flings himself over to me, bouncing up and down excitedly in place. "What? What? Is there a treasure? Or meat? Or-or-

"No!"

"Then what?" he asks, a puzzled pout on his face.

I scowl. Such an annoying kid. Why does he have to look so much like Kota? God, if I didn't know any better I would say he was trying to _copy _my awesome dog(who, by the way, I haven't seen in TEN YEARS!) . "I was just going to say that we have no navigation skills, tools, or guides, and so we are therefore -to use the term correctly-lost."

"…No," he argues. "We're not. We're just wandering." His bottom lip sticks out like it always does when he's being stubborn. And stupid. Wait, he's _always _being stupid. Does that even count?

I roll my eyes again. "Wandering? What the hell's the difference?"

"Wandering is what _cool_ pirates do!" He grins likes a little kid who just got told he won a lottery.

Cool? Who the hell told him he was cool?

I stare at him blankly. "Yeah, sure, okay," I say. He grins happily, obviously thinking he won. Yeah, well he didn't. Leiko the Awesome _never _loses. He really does need to learn that. I smirk inwardly and continue. "I'm awesome, yeah, and totally cool. But _you're_ not, so…" A smug smirk curls the corners of my lips up as I watch his smile slowly fall off his face, "obviously, _you're _lost."

"I am_ too_ cool!" he protests. Ha, how stupid. There's no use denying the fact. It's not going to get you anywhere.

"You are not," I say. I try to make it sound final by lying back down on the boat and closing my eyes to sleep, but apparently either I didn't do a very good job of that, or Luffy is just very dense because he keeps talking about it anyways.

"I am too!" Yep, he's just dense. There's no way I could be doing a bad job of anything, so it must be because he's stupid.

"You are not," I sigh, exasperated. I roll over onto my side and try to cover my ears. I briefly wonder if my hands can really be strong enough to block out Luffy's loud voice.

"I am too!" he says again.

I grimace. Nope, apparently not. I groan. "Shut up already, will you? I'm trying to sleep, here, you know."

"Hm…" he mumbles in thought. I sigh, relieved. Maybe he'll shut up now… "No!" he suddenly shouts.

..Or not.

I roll my eyes in irritation. Sitting up again, I open my mouth to start yelling at Luffy, only to look up and see the last thing I ever wanted to see.

Holy. Crap.

My jaw falls slack and my eyes bulge in their sockets. Shock paralyses me, a lightning bolt delivered _not _from the heaven's, but rather from the creature looming above Luffy's head with a menacing look in its eyes.

"Oh," I whisper, my voice stolen by fear, "my god."

With sharp, pointed teeth, and a long eel like body, it's….it's….

I freeze.

It's the Lord of the Coast.

_Nessie. _

"L-luffy," I stammer. My heart pounds like a hammer in my chest. Cold beads of sweat form on my forehead and drip down the side of my face, leaving cool trails of moist in their wake.

I watch in silent horror as its jaw slowly opens to reveal a set of large, pointed teeth. Its eyes are trained on Luffy's form, and I can just see the thought of "food" running through its mind as its tongue lashes around in its mouth.

"Leiko?" Luffy asks, tilting his head to the side in wonder. "Your face looks funny."

My breathing becomes quick and shallow as Nessie's long, slimy eel like body emerges farther out the water. A dark shadow is cast on the ground under the ferocious Sea King. Slowly, gradually, the shadow grows longer as Nessie stands taller in the waters. It keeps growing and growing, as if feeding off of my fear, until it is covering not only Luffy, but me as well. The whole dinghy is enveloped in the darkness of Nessie's shadow, as her over-sized head moves to cover the sun.

Slowly, I lift my hand and point behind him. My whole arm trembles furiously. My face is frozen in a terrified expression, the blood draining from my face, making my skin even paler than it normally is. "L-luffy, look behind you."

Luffy frowns, but turns to look behind him. I swallow loudly. Oh god, Luffy, please don't do anything stupid! Please don't do anything stup-

"Oh, hi!"

I almost collapse out of shock.

He smirks mischievously at the gigantic creature barring its teeth at him. "Hey, you…I owe you a little something, don't I?"

Oh god._ Oh-god-oh-god-oh-god-oh-god-oh god-oh god._ OH GOD. My shocked expression turns even more horrified. What is he going to do?

Luffy snickers and stretches his arm. The bones crack, and his smirk widens. He clenches his hand into a fist.

Oh damn. He better not be doing what I think he is doing…

"THIS ONE IS FOR SHANKS!"

And then his fist goes flying, his arm stretching and bending like the rubber band he is. My jaw drops as his knuckles collide with Nessie's gigantic jawbone. A pointy tooth is knocked out from the force, and makes a loud plunking noise as it falls into the ocean. I can't help but gape at it in awe.

_Holy shit! That was the size of my _head!

But all this is drowned out by the sound of Nessie's pained roar as it flies backwards and plunges into the waters. I let out a strangled shriek as a gigantic wave rises over our boat and sends us spiraling out away from Nessie.

Luffy grins as his arm ricochets back to its rightful size. "Haha, that felt good!" He laughs and turns back around. His pleased expression melts into a confused one as he sees the look on my face. "Huh?" He frowns. "Leiko? Are you dead?"

I am frozen in spot, my mouth wide open and my eyes falling out of their sockets.

"Hm…." Luffy mumbles, waving his hand in front of my face. "Leiko! The flies are going to fly in your mouth!"

Someone please tell me he did not just punch Nessie in the face.

" You might want to close-"

Actually, don't. Saying it won't change the fact that he already _did._

"You-you IDIOT!" I screech. I throw my arms up in the air and growl ferociously at the sky. Why does it have to be so freaking sunny and happy, whenever I feel like strangling someone? Or, to be exact, Luffy.

Speaking of which, I really do think he needs a good chewing out.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I slowly walk up to the brat in question. I stop right in front of him. I can feel his confused eyes staring at me curiously, but I keep my eyes closed anyways. I take another deep breath, snap my eyes open, and then yell…

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU _THINKING?"_

I grab him by the neck of his red vest , lift his rubbery body off the floor and shake him vigorously. I'm hoping I can shake him silly. Maybe his brains will fall out of his ears if I shake him enough—that is if he _has_ any brains of course.

His head flops back and forth, and yet he still manages to frown stupidly at me. "Huh? Why are you getting so worked up?"

I glare furiously at him. If only looks could kill…Luffy would have been dead _ages _ago. "What do you mean, what am I getting so worked up over?" I yell, giving him another shake for the extra measure. "You just punched Nessie in the face! What if you got me killed? Then what? Who would be the most awesome person in the world then?"

His frown deepens. "Nessie? What's that? Some type of meat?"

I grit my teeth together as a vein pulses on my forehead. "Stop thinking about meat! I'm trying to be _serious_ here!"

"But if it's not meat, then what is it?" he asks, frowning.

"ARGH!" I scream in frustration, releasing my hold on the neck of Luffy's vest and dropping him on the floor of the dingy.

"Hey!" he yells in protest. I ignore him. "What was that for?"

I scowl angrily at the ocean. What the hell am I going to do with him? For god's sake, the only damn things he thinks about are meat and pirates! Why does he never think that maybe I don't fancy getting attacked by crazy sea monsters, because some stupid brat decided to provoke them?

Huffing noisily, I cross my arms against my chest and am about to go back to sleep, when something in the corner of my eye catches my attention. Instinctively, my head turns in the direction of the motion. I narrow my eyes, squinting to see the thing in the distance. I use my hand to cover my eyes from the sun, and lean over the side of the dinghy to see well. Slowly, my eyesight comes into focus, and I see it. I ignore Luffy as he yells and bounces around in the background.

Hm…water moving…whirlpools…

My eyes widen. A big, big whirlpool…

"Heeeeeey, Leiko. You look kind of constipated. Are you okay-"

I growl loudly, unable to contain my irritation any longer and slap away the hand Luffy had been waving in front of my face.

Luffy yelps in surprise at my sudden movement. He jumps backward instinctively, but his sandal gets caught on am uneven plank of wood, sending him stumbling backwards off balance. "Whoa, whoa, whoa-whoa-whoa-who-WHOA!" Tripping over absolutely nothing, he falls butt-first into a barrel behind him.

I raise my eyebrows. Um…seriously?

"Ow…" he moans quietly.

Yes, apparently Luffy_ is_ serious.

I watch in amusement as Luffy attempts to push himself out of the barrel. Unfortunately for him, his behind is lodged firmly in the barrel, and it doesn't seem to be coming out anytime soon. So naturally, Luffy's stuck with his rubbery butt in a barrel.

Sorry, Luffy, but you _totally _deserved that.

I am unable to contain my laughter as Luffy tips the barrel over in an attempt to escape, but still manages to stay stuck. Luffy rolls around on the ground with half of his body stuck in the barrel, and the sight is just so comical my loud laughter soon transforms into hysterical hyena shrieks.

Oh, and if you were wondering, that kind of laughing _still _sounds good on me. I mean, I _am, _after all_,_ the most awesome person in the world. You can't beat _that_.

"Oh god…" I manage to choke out between laughs. I pound my fist against the floor as I drop down to my knees, bending over in laughter. "This is _epic_! I _knew_ stupid people were good for _something."_ I giggle and choke and laugh until tears of mirth are pouring down my cheeks. My sides hurt, but I still can't stop laughing.

It really doesn't help that Luffy is wiggling like a worm and asking for my help.

"Luffy, you're_ so_ stupid!" I giggle.

"Leiko," he whines, pouting at me. "Help me, I'm stuck!"

I laugh harder. "No way. This is hilarious—

The sound of swirling water reaches my ears.

I freeze.

Water.

Water.

_Water._

I gasp.

Oh yeah. The whirlpool.

"Crap!"

Damn, I forgot about that.

Hastily, I bolt up into a sitting position and whip my head back and forth between Luffy, the dinghy, and the whirlpool. We're already getting sucked in—in fact, we're about half way into the center.

I grit my teeth together in irritation. How the hell could I have forgotten about that?

I glance over at Luffy, who has now noticed the whirlpool and is now wriggling even harder to get out of the barrel. We're a bit too far in to get out safely, and the current is dragging us in further by the second. Damn, am I going to die on my first day out at sea? I _knew_ letting Luffy drag me out to sea was not a good idea. I should just go back to Fushcia…But then Gram might kill me…Okay, so she _would _kill me, but then wouldn't all her good training go to waste?

Suddenly, an idea hits me.

"Barrels…" I murmur in thought. "Barrels are wood, and wood floats…right?"

Luffy struggles harder.

My eyes widen. I feel my whole face light up."Luffy!" I cry, turning to face him. "Stay in the barr—

"I'm out!" he exclaims, bursting out of the barrel with a spring in his step.

I gape at him. What the hell? What kind of timing does this brat have?

"Oh yeah," Luffy says, turning to face me now that he is totally, one-hundred percent out of the barrel. "What were you saying again?"

…Damn him.

I clench my teeth together in irritation. "Get back in the barrel," I choke out through gritted teeth.

"What? But I just got out!" He pouts, his mouth turned downwards in an expression remarkably similar to my dog's.

I send an anxious glance at the center of the whirlpool. I'll be drowning and dead in what? Thirty seconds?

NOT happening!

"Well, get back in!" I scream. I refuse to die here. I still haven't become queen of the world yet!

"Why?"

"JUST GET BACK IN!"

Without waiting to see if he was actually going to obey my command, I push back into the barrel with all my strength and start stuffing the rest of him in too. In five seconds flat, I have Luffy's whole body squished inside a big, empty wine barrel (that Luffy ate all the apples out of) and am now about to stick the lid on.

"Hey!" he protests. "What are you doing?"

I ignore him and instead concentrate on just sticking the lid on. Once I am completely sure the lid is on securely, and that there are no cracks or holes that water could get into, I sigh and pat the top of the barrel fondly.

"Alright, Luffy," I say. I watch as the boat nears the center of the whirlpool. Two seconds… "Can you hear me?"

"You sound funny," he declares, his voice muffled by the wood.

I decide to ignore that comment, on the account that he is just jealous of my beautiful voice. Or that he is just not in his right mind. Probably both. But that's not the point.

"Okay, well now that I know you can hear me, you've got to listen," I say, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. "I'm going to dump you in the ocean, and you are going to take a nice, long nap. You will not move, or leave the barrel until you are safely inside a ship, or on land. And when you are safe, _don't_ come looking for me. I've changed my mind. Going with you is only going to make me die an early death, so I'm going to be back to Fuschia islan-

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…."

I bite my tongue to keep from snapping at him. God, how is it possible that he is already asleep? Well, as long as he's not going to move and break the barrel, then I guess it's okay…

Sighing, I shake my head to clear it, and step forward to face the large gaping hole in the ocean in front of me.

"Well, here goes nothing."

And with that, I roll the barrel with Luffy over the edge, watching as it swirls around in the current and then disappears. It reappears a moment later, bobbing up and down on the surface of the water. It doesn't appear to be leaking, and Luffy's not heavy enough to make it sink, so at least that much is good.

And, to my great relief, there is also a large cruise ship approaching in the distance. It will be here soon, and I'm just going to assume I can count on it to pick up Luffy and deposit him on some faraway land. Then I won't have to worry about him anymore! He can just go off and be a pirate, while I go back to Fushcia and live a nice, boring life! I mean, at least I'll be Luffy-free! And besides, once Luffy is far enough away so that I'll never have to run into him again, I'll probably set sail on my own, without him.

Sounds good to me…

Satisfied with this result, I turn around and let out a large sigh. I rub my aching temples, trying to fend off the headache I just know is coming.

Now, I've got my own problems. Luffy might be safe, but I'm not.

And no, I haven't been planning on being a sacrifice to save Luffy, and I don't think I'll be planning on that anytime soon. I like my life, thank you very much. Besides, I like to believe my life is much more important that Luffy's anyways.

But, saying that, I still don't have a plan. I figure my awesomeness can always save me when I'm in trouble, but…

I stare in mild dismay at the whirlpool in front of me. But still…what to do, what to do?

"Oh god…" I groan. Gulping, I look at the foreboding waters before me. Well…it's either this or death…

I grin. I choose this. What is my genius plan may you ask?

Well…

I drop down to a sitting position in the boat and pick up a discarded oar.

"ROW LIKE HELL!"

…Let's just hope I make it.

* * *

The dinghy suddenly stops moving.

I frown. Huh? I try to keep rowing that stupid oar, but it's not moving. It's stuck…stuck in what?

I look down at the ocean…

Ocean?

I frown.

This is not the ocean.

It's…It's yellow, it's warm, it's sandy, it's uh….

_Sand._

I frown and sigh in disappointment. The ride is over already? But it was kind of fun…

Rowing like crazy really does have its perks. I am _so_ glad Gram taught me how to row, and trained me to be able to move fast when I need to. If Gram hadn't trained me, there's no way I could have been strong enough to survive that.

Ask Gram if you want to learn how to use superpowers. She's the one who taught me how to row myself out of a freakin' whirlpool.

I grin and glance around me, taking in the scenery. Sand…trees…ground…dirt…buildings…a city…a marine headquarters…

"Hey…wait a second…"

I gasp in realization.

"WHERE THE HELL AM I?"

Crap. Crap. Crap. I thought I was going in the direction that was back to Fushcia …

But no. this isn't Fushcia. It's too big. And besides, I happen to know for a _fact_ that Fuschia Island doesn't have a gigantic Marine base.

I mean, I would totally notice if there was one. And no, not only because Luffy wants to be a pirate, but because _this _marine base has a gigantic statue the size of my mansion back at home lying on the roof of it! And unless you're Luffy, there's no way you could miss that.

Aw damn.

I groan. Why do I always have to have the worst luck?

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

…Screw that. I was never in Kansas to begin with. And my dog's name isn't Toto.

Toto is a lame name. Kota is much better. Believe it.

I take a look at the unfamiliar island in front of me. I just wanted to go back to Fushcia and be Luffy-free again…

I sigh.

God hates me. So does Luck.

….Believe it.

* * *

End Chapter 9.

Questions? Comments? Criticism? Opinions? Confusions? Tips? Advices?

REVIEW!

Oh yeah, here's my question of the chapter.

**How do you motivate yourself to write? Tips? Advice? Suggestions? ...Cookies?**

Yeah, as you can see since I always get mychapters out late, I thought I'd ask you guys what you some of you do to get yourself in the mood to write. I always get distracted by something or other...tee hee.

But reviews make me happy, so review me! Please!


	11. Nami

**Author's Note:** By now you should know the drill. I am late with updates, you either get mad at me or stop reading me (makes me cry), or you...I don't know. Forget about me and get on with your life? Whatever, well anyways you should be used to my lateness. I think I'm becoming a bit like Kakashi now, you know, if you've read/watched/heard of Naruto. Oh yeah, I was wondering...

**Where the heck did all my reviewers go?**

...Yeah. No really, where did you guys go? Chapter 8 got like seven reviews, and Chapter 9 got like...two. It made me really, really, relaly depressed. And then I felt like a terrible author because author's should keep writing no matter the amount of reviews they get, but then I was like...ah forget morals and encouraging-inner monologue. I'm an annoying brat, and I care about my review count, and let me tell you, I really really love lots of reviews.

Well anyways, I think you got the point now. REVIEW. PLEASE. If you don't, I will be pissed. And yes, I am talking to all you who have me favorited/alerted and do not review. I am mad at you. Feel the wrath of a review-deprived author. Oh yah, just so you know, I would have updated last week if not for those stupid error messages I kept getting. Did any of you get those?

**Disclaimer:I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

On with the chap...

* * *

**Chapter 10: Nami**

After realizing that no, this island was not, in fact, Fushcia Island, I also realized that I had to use the bathroom. I then decided that peeing in the woods was far too unlady-like for an awesome person like me, and from that concluded that I must find a bathroom.

And, naturally, the first building I chose to go to was, well, the Marine base. Why? Well, it's big, it's full of people, it's open, and I _know_ there's a bathroom in it.

At least, I'm _assuming_ there is. If there's not, then…well…let's just say I'll be a little bit grossed out.

…Okay, I lied. I'll be _a lot_ grossed out, but that's beside the point.

The point is that, I, a Luffy-proclaimed pirate, am now standing in front of a gigantic Marine base. And the reason I am going in is- no, not to save anyone or act heroic- but instead to use the bathroom. How anticlimactic.

Well, at least I'm original and not cliché. Not_ too_ cliché, anyways. Besides, how could an awesome person like me be cliché? That's, like, impossible, since I'm, like, the only awesome person in the whole stupid world.

Sighing, I place my hands on my hips and look up at the monstrous building before me. A building this big has got to have a bathroom. And besides, maybe they'll have something I can steal. I wonder if Marine bases are rich…

I frown. "I wonder if they'll let me in…"

I'm still standing at the gate, so I actually haven't entered the grounds yet. I don't know why they _wouldn't_ want to let me in, but if they don't, then too bad for them, because they just missed out on seeing the most awesome person in the world. Also, I may or may not decide to execute them when I become queen. So really, I think it would be in their best interests to let me in.

Shrugging, I saunter towards the gates and push them open. I'm not exactly sure if I'm supposed to let someone know that I'm coming in, but I figure they'll forgive me anyways, even if I _am_ trespassing. I mean, I'm so awesome. How could they _not _forgive me?

I press my hands to the iron doors and push.

Speaking of forgiving me, I'm sixteen now. When I was six, I had kid charms. Now, it's ten years later, and I have my feminine wiles to use at hand instead. I'm still debating on which one is more useful. So far, my powers of awesome are winning. …Who cares if that has nothing to do with what I was talking about before?

I grimace as the weight of the doors starts to bear down on my arms. Sheesh, these doors are _heavy._ And my poor arms are already super tired from rowing for so long.

I sigh in relief as the large, iron gates slowly creak open to reveal a large, open courtyard. I begin to stretch the fatigued muscles of my arms out, when I realize how simply grotesque this Marine base is. I am unable to contain my displeased frown at the sight.

The land is so bare it might as well be a desert. It's _sooo_ ugly. I mean, if someone as awesome as I am is going to see this, don't you think they should at least make an_ effort_ to make it look pretty? I personally believe I deserve a nice, long welcome party every time I enter a new building, but hey, not everyone is smart enough to realize who I am, and I can't really blame them for being stupid, now can I?

But still, it's kind of rude.

I sigh and slowly begin to make my way through the ugly courtyard. I try not to let all the ugly around me affect me, and keep my eyes on my beautiful, wonderful feet the whole entire time. I mean, would you rather look at a really boring, ugly stretch of land, or at my gorgeous, stunning feet?

Obviously, my feet. Like, duh. You'd have to be Luffy to choose the other one.

I frown. But, knowing him, he'd probably choose the choice that isn't there. Which, inevitably, would be meat, or if not that, something related to meat.

I sigh and roll my eyes. That brat's mind revolves completely around food. For god's sake, could he stop thinking about that for one second? I mean, I'm much more interesting to think about. I'm so awesome that everyone loves me, and I'm always on people's minds. I'm just so charismatic they can't stop thinking about me!

Speaking of Luffy, I wonder what happened to him. I bite my lip, chewing on the lower half in thought. I just hope he didn't drown. If he did, Ace would _murder_ me. I promised him I'd take care of Luffy, and while I have absolutely _no _problem breaking promises, I do not fancy getting my butt chased down by a crazy freckle-faced brat. He and Luffy are so stubborn and thick-headed, they're, like, the only ones who are stupid enough to not understand my supreme awesomeness. That, or they're just jealous. I'm still not sure which, but I just know it's got to be one of those two things.

Eventually, I find myself standing at the doors of the huge Marine base. The base has two towers, both of which are shaped like cylinders. At the top of one is this ridiculously large statue. It's the one I saw earlier from the beach. Now that I'm up closer, I can see that it's a statue of a big man with an axe…or something like that anyways.

The walls of the base are painted blue with darker blue stripe thingies. I'm not sure if those are supposed to make it look like the ocean or something, but to me it looks like Luffy was trying to finger paint on an old can of Makino's orange juice. Not exactly very appealing, but not everyone can be as talented as I am, I guess.

"Hm…" I mumble, tapping my finger against my chin in thought. "I guess I'll just stroll right in…?"

"HEY, YOU!"

I jump, whipping around to face whoever had scared the hell out of me. And I guess the place where I am (Marine base), and exactly what I am (an unofficial pirate) actually does have an effect on me, because I feel myself springing into battle mode. Instinctively, I feel my body shifting into one of the battle stances Gram had pounded into me, and my gaze sweeps over the land, searching for any hidden offenders.

Across the field from me, there is a boy. He seems to be the one who called out to me. On both sides of him, is a Marine officer. I resist the urge to cringe in disgust as I see the boy's ugly face. His neon blonde hair is cut into a really funny looking bowl-cut hairstyle that makes the top of his head look really wide and flat. His mouth is curled into a smug smirk, one that should only belong to the stereotypical rich jerk on TV. The boy is wearing a…purple suit with a _pink _collar?

Normally, I would cringe at that and declare that this boy has a really bad fashion sense, but something else catches my eye before I can criticize him. He has a really, really nasty butt chin.

And…oh man, is he ugly! I try not to grimace as I look him in the face, but with his horrendous face, it's pretty hard not to. If I were mean I would say he's the ugliest person I've ever seen, and there's nothing he can do about that. But I'm nice, so I'm just going to say that he would look better if he changed his close, changed his face, changed his chin, and changed his hairstyle. Maybe then he would look a little bit more awesome. Well, actually, if he were more awesome, he could wear anything he wanted, look any way he wanted, and talk any way he wanted, and still be cool, but unluckily for him, he is not, so he does have to watch his appearance.

But no matter what he does, he still wouldn't be anywhere _near_ as awesome as I am.

I let my eyes analyze the way he walks. He walks like a retarded, rich, spoiled boy, and just by the way he is moving, I can tell he's not the battling type. The sound of his loud footsteps can tell me that much.

He's not a threat.

Slowly, I allow myself to relax. I slip out of my battle position and resume my normal one. I force a friendly smile on my face. "Hi!" I say, waving enthusiastically at the ugly boy. I try not to cringe at the overly-happy tone of my voice. Oops, I guess my acting skills are a little bit rusty…

The boy saunters up to me with his hands in his pockets, pushes in face in my face as starts to yell. "What do you think you're doing on my father's property? This is a Marine base, and you're trespassing!" I shut my eyes tightly and turn my face away to avoid getting spit on me. Gross.

When I realize he's stopped yelling, I slowly crack an eye open to look at him. He's so angry he looks constipated- just saying. I feel like snapping at him to get away from me, and that I have every right to be on his freakin' father's property, but I resist the urge, because I'm awesome and mature, and I have this really strong feeling that doing that will get me nowhere.

So, instead I arrange my features into the cutest, sexiest, I've-got-puppy-dog-look-of-doom pout I've got, and decide that acting is probably the best way to go from here. I _knew _taking all those theatre and drama classes in middle school would come in handy some day. "Oh, I'm so _so_ sorry!" I apologize fakely, resisting the urge to smirk. No smirks, Leiko…That ruins the image.

The boy throws his hand back and starts cackling. "You better be!" he shrills. "I am the great Helmeppo-sama, son of Captain Morgan! No one shall disobey me!"

Great? What the hell? _I'm_ great! He, on the other hand, is not! And who the hell is he to be giving me orders?

….Leiko….don't glare. Don't glare, don't glare. Don't. Glare.

I struggle to keep a sweet smile on my face. I feel my mouth twitching and a vein popping out of my forehead, but I refuse to give in to my anger.

The snobby boy continues cackling. "The consequences of trespassing can be taken to execution! Do you dare disobey my father?"

Twitch.

I will not let this retard get to me. "No, Helmeppo-sama. I just wanted to use the toil—

He cackles and sticks his face in front of mine, a mocking sneer twisting his already ugly features into an even_ more_ ugly image. "No excuses! Anyone who disobeys me or my father will be punished!"

Twitch. Twitch.

…Leiko, don't get angry…

"But sir, I just want to use the toile—

"Hey, you, Marine. Throw her out." He turns to me with his hands in his pockets and smirks. "You're lucky you're cute, and I'm really nice, or else you would be dead by now."

Twitch.

No, no you can't punch him…yet…But you can-

"Hey, what are you waiting for? Throw her out," he sneers to the Marine before turning to me. "And you. Trespass again, and your head will be mine. That's what happens when you disobey the great Helmeppo-sama!"

Oh. My. God.

Did he just threaten me?

…Okay, that's it. He's _dead. _

"You? _You?_ You're not great! You're stupid! You're ugly! You're worthless and you're mean, and you're just plain, ugly, and a freakin' bastard that likes to leech of his father's damn political position!" I yell, jabbing a finger in his face. "_I _am great!_ I_ am awesome!" I bring my finger up to his forehead and push heavily on it, making him stumble backwards and clutch at his red forehead in pain. I smirk as he starts to growl at me. "So, don't you dare try telling _me_ what to do."

"What?" he screeches. He turns to the Marine next to him, and points at me, waving his finger frantically in the air. "CAPTURE HER! NOW! OR ELSE I'M GOING TO TELL MY FATHER!"

The Marine officer looks slightly shocked. "B-but, she was only trespassing…"

"ARE YOU DISOBEYING ME?"

I laugh at the boy. "What do you think, you numbskull. _Of course_ he is! Who would want to listen to _you_?" Turning to the marine officer, I smile sweetly at him and bat my eyelashes. "Please? Have mercy on me?"

The marine's gaze slowly sweeps over my body and lands on my face. He is struck frozen, and a red flush creeps up to his cheeks. "H-helmeppo-sama, I can't do this—

"WHAT?" he screeches.

I glare at him with my hands on my hips. "Huh? Are you deaf? Didn't you hear him? He's not going to do it."

He scowls at me and grits his teeth together. "I'm telling my father! He'll execute you!"

I roll my eyes at him and push my face up in his. "Do I look like I care?"

I am getting myself into_ so_ much trouble. But seriously, who cares? I mean, maybe getting into trouble isn't such a good idea, but I'm a pirate anyways. They're supposed to get into trouble right? And I'm awesome. Hell yeah.

…nature is calling. I need a toilet… I grimace and send a pointed look towards the blonde annoying dude. Will he get the point already and take me to freakin' bathroom? I've been asking him to do it for hours now…

"Y-you-you're gonna get killed!" he stutters, obviously not noticing my glare.

I sigh, roll my eyes and straighten my back. "I will not," I scoff.

I need to use the bathroom…

"H-how do you know tha—

Oh for god's sake, this boy just doesn't get the point does he?

"SHUT THE HELL UP, AND TAKE ME TO THE BATHROOM ALREADY, YOU STUPID—STUPID—stupid—stupid….stupid….," I trail off, my anger slowly fading away. I pause and bite my lip, frowning in thought, "um…um…" I tilt my head to the side and smile sheepishly at him. "um…what was your name again?"

"IT'S HELMEPPO, YOU IDIOT!" he screeches in my face. "How did you forget that already?"

I grimace at him. "Stop yelling in my face, you retard. You're getting spit all over me. And besides, Helmet-Hippo—

"IT'S _HELMEPPO_!"

"—an awesome person like me can't be bothered to remember stupid people's names. It's totally not worth the trouble, and besides, it's taking up brain space that I could be using for something a whole lot more important, like who are going to be my servants, and what color my throne's going to be, and what people are going to call me when I'm the queen of all awesome things in the world."

"W-what the hell?" he exclaims, stumbling backwards and falling onto his behind. "You're crazy! Who died and said _you _were going to be queen!"

I send him a frosty glare. "Shut up already. And stop changing the subject."

"Subject?"

My glare hardens. "Yes," I growl. "I. Need. To. Use. The. _Bathroom."_

Helmet-Hippo-what's-his-name squeals in fright and scrambles backwards to put more space between us. "O-okay!" he yelps and jumps to his feet. "Fine!"

I watch with narrowed eyes as he slowly backs away from me with a nervous expression on his face. He's moving one step…two steps…three steps…where the hell is he going? Is he running away?

My eyes narrow further as I notice the way his eyes keep flickering anxiously towards a Marine officer a few feet away from him holding a gun. He's planning something…I know it.

Suddenly, his anxious expression morphs into one of smug arrogance and satisfaction. Before I have time to react, he jumps behind one of the Marine's and yells, "Shoot her!"

I hiss in surprise and kneel into a running position. Damn…I should've known. "Coward…" I mutter.

"B-but Sir…" the Marine mumbles unsurely. I watch as a bead of sweat rolls down his forehead.

"What?" Helmet-Hippo screeches from behind him. "Hurry up and shoot her!"

"B-but…I can't shoot her."

I prepare to sprint out of the way. Great, they're arguing. Thank you, Mr. Random Marine Officer Number 0001 for stalling for me…

"Why not?" Helmet-po yells, spraying spit all over the other man's face. Inwardly, I cringe. Ew…

Turning back to my path in front of me, I gauge the distance between me and the exit gate. It's only a few yard away. I take a deep breath and prepare to start sprinting.

Okay, I'm going to run in three….two…one…

"…Because I don't have any bullets."

_Go!_

I take a big, long running step, and then the man's words register in my head. I freeze. Slowly, my head turns to look back at the nervous-looking Marine with the gun with…

No bullets?

…Wait, what?

"NO BULLETS!" Helmet-Hippo screeches. "Why the hell don't you have any _bullets?"_

I slowly rise back to a standing position and stare at the two with a frown on my face. For once, I actually agree with Mr. Helmet-Hippo… I mean, what kind of marine doesn't have any bullets on him?

"Well, I-I used them up when your dog went rabid, bit your hand, and we had to sedate it…"

A rabid dog? I raise a skeptical eyebrow. Like, what the hell? Since when were the marines the new animal control facility?

I let out a big sigh as the Marine and Helmet-hippo begin to argue. Well, actually, more like just Helmet-Hippo, since he was doing all the yelling, and the poor marine was just trying not to get spit in his eyes…

"Great," I mutter, sighing. "They forgot about me. I'm not sure whether to be glad about that or not, but…"

I glance at the Marine base before me.

"At least I can go to the bathroom now with disruptions…"

And with that in mind, I slowly sneak away from the two yelling males and sidle my way into the Marine base.

Hopefully, by the time they notice, I'll be long gone.

Now, if only I could just find the bathroom, everything would be just perfect…

* * *

Pushing open the door out of the guest room, I look both right and left, declare it safe, and then bolt down the hall way.

Hm…what am I doing? Well, let's just say I'm being a bad girl…

I quietly tip-toe down the empty halls, the sound of my feet hitting the ground barely audible to the average human ear. This is one of the times I'm thankful for this light body. It's not as awesome as my real one back in my world, but hey, I've got to make do with what I've got, don't I?

You may be wondering what happened. Yeah, well, after using the bathroom, I decided that since no one was coming after me just yet, I could take advantage of the free facilities I had in front of me. So, I snuck into one of the empty guestrooms and took a nice, long nap. I'm not exactly sure how long I slept, but I'm pretty sure it was a long time.

…What? I'm a lazy person, and I was tired, so of course I wanted a nice bed to sleep in! Besides, the guest rooms looked awfully fancy…

…I didn't steal anything!

No really, I didn't.

… I only took a couple things! Just a nice hairbrush, this really nice smelling soap (but definitely not as good as Makino's), a warm blanket, and this one really awesome pillow…

Well, anyways, right now I'm on my out of here before anyone figures out I've taken anything.

Suddenly, my body collides with something, large, warm, and…squishy? I gasp and fall backwards onto my butt. Inwardly, I curse. I could've sworn this hall was empty! Where the hell did this person come from? The _air?_

"Eek!" the person squeals as they trip backwards and end up on their behind as well. Ha! I scoff inwardly. Serves them right for knocking the future queen of the world over!

My head snaps towards the offending person. Quickly, I jump to my feet and back up a few steps. I narrow my eyes at the person and bit by bit begin to take in their features.

It's a woman…probably around seventeen or eighteen? Hm…I can tell just by her face that she's pretty young-maybe only a couple years older than me. She winces and begins to rub a sore spot on her behind. Black eyes full of dismay stare down at a bruise forming on the smooth, pale skin of her thigh. A strand of short, bright orange hair slips out from behind her ear and dangles in front of her face.

I frown warily. Who is she? What is she doing here? Is she going to report me?

"Who are you?" I ask. I tilt my head to side as I inspect her. Well, she's obviously _not _a Marine. I mean, she's wearing a white shirt with a blue stripe across it, and a tangerine orange mini skirt! Since when is that _anything_ close to a Marine uniform?

The girl gasps at the sound of my voice, her head snapping up so fast I'm afraid she might get whip-lash. Hastily, she jumps to her feet and takes on a defensive stance. She stares at me, then narrows her eyes suspiciously. She's scrutinizing me, like I did to her. Wary, I watch her as she takes a few steps away from me to distance herself.

"I should be asking you that," she finally says. A small, confident smirk starts to form on her face once she's obtained a satisfying distance.

I frown and feel my body tensing. This girl's tricky, I can tell. She's kind of like me—a liar. Well, I've got to be careful with her, now don't I? Can't have the future queen being ticked by a fox, now can we? "Why are you here?"

Her smirk grows. "Why are _you_ here?"

My gaze travels down to her hand, in which a lock pick is clenched. Ah…so she's here to steal, just like me. Kind of. I grin at her knowingly. "Touché."

She huffs. "Yeah, well if I don't mention you, you won't mention _me_, right?" Her feet shift as she takes a couple discreet steps backward. Luckily, I'm not stupid and notice what she's trying to do. Like, seriously, I'm not an idiot. I may have spent ten years growing up with Luffy, but that doesn't mean he's rubbed off on me. I know that this red-head (orange-head?) is trying to escape, but seriously, it's not like I really care. I mean, as long as she's not going to run off and tell that Helmet-Hippo dude where I am, then it's all fine and well with me!

I raise my eyebrows at her behavior. "Unlike you, I'm actually welcome here." _That's a lie_, the little voice inside my head reminds me. I tell it to shut up. Seriously, I'm awesome, and I'm going to be the queen one day, so who the hell is going to tell me I can't be in here? That's right, no one. Therefore, no one should care that I'm lying. I mean, one day they're going to be proud that the queen used their toilets. It's an honor, for god's sake. You people should be _thanking_ me.

Oh great, I'm talking to myself again. I thought I got rid of that habit.

I motion towards the girl's lock pick. "You're a thief, right?"

She takes a few more steps back, sending anxious glances towards an emergency exit door behind her. "Yeah…" she admits warily, "what's it to you?"

I smile. "Nothing. Just curious." Shrugging, I slowly begin to walk towards her, covering the distance in a few, long strides.

She narrows her eyes and steps backward. I grin widely at this display of caution. I just love how she automatically assumes I am dangerous. Which, I am, but seriously, what if I was just a normal person? Not that that's possible—I mean, I'm too awesome for that, but what if I was?

I keep walking towards the girl, and watch with amusement as she stops walking backwards and instead presses her back against the wall. Her fist is clenched tightly, her face twisted into both a glare, and a look of caution in her eyes. I take one look at her stance and decide I'm not going to mess with her. Seriously, I'm awesome, but that doesn't mean I'm immune to blows to my stomach. And that's probably where her fists going to be if I even consider attacking this redhead.

Inwardly, I shake my head in disappointment at her. If only she knew she's about to try to punch to future queen of the world, I'm sure she wouldn't attempt it anymore. In fact, I'm pretty sure, with her foxy attitude, she would be quick to start kissing my toes. Of course, then I would have to worry about her trying to overthrow me from my throne later, but at least then I wouldn't have to worry about getting sucker punched in the stomach.

Okay, Leiko, proceed with caution. This redhead is serious, but so am I.

Three steps until I reach her…

Two steps…

One step…

The redhead tenses, her mouth set into a grim line of determination. I meet her threatening glare with a challenging glint in my eye and a smug smirk of my own. She reacts to my smirk with a clenching of teeth and a tightening of a fist.

Zero steps…

The arm of her clenched fist rises quickly and meets the spot where I was standing just one moment ago.

That's right, one moment ago. Which means, luckily for me, I'm not standing there anymore.

Where am I? Well, I guess that's exactly what the thieving redhead was thinking when she realized she hadn't hit anything but air. Her eyes widen in surprise, and her head begins to whip around, her gaze frantically sweeping the hall for my body.

I laugh. "Here, here, I'm over here."

She gasps and whirls around. "When did you…"

I stop laughing and just frown at her. "When you were preparing to punch, you closed your eyes for a second." I snicker at her surprised expression. "Not exactly a smart move, missy, but hey, whatever floats your boat." I smirk at her, shrug my shoulders and then turn around and keep walking down the hall, each step carrying me another stride away from her.

And yes, if you were wondering what I did. I just walked right past her. Since she was so obviously assuming I was going to get into a brawl with her (Hell no!), I decided to use that to my advantage and just walk right past her. There was no way in hell I was going to fight with her, and besides, walking past her like an awesome and mature woman _doe_s have its advantages, just to let you know.

I mean, there's an emergency exit door right behind her, and I'm trying to leave! How could I _not_ have taken advantage of that?

I feel her eyes on my back as I amble up to the emergency exit door she had been eyeing earlier. I place my hand on the knob, feeling the cool metal against my warm skin.

Just as I turn the knob and crack the door open a notch, I pivot my head and smile a bit at the orange –haired girl. "Loosen up a bit, would you? I'm not about to rat you out." I laugh at her slightly surprised face. "Oh—and I'm Leiko, by the way. Nice meeting you."

I take a step out the door, and right before it slams shut the orange-haired girl speaks.

"Nami," she replies.

And then the door is shut.

I giggle to myself as I skip away around the courtyard. Flipping a couple cartwheels, I hop up and down in my spot, squealing excitedly. "I'm _so_ cool!" Seriously, that was so awesome of me. Just proves that it's my destiny to be the future queen of awesome!

"Hey, you. Girl with the black hair."

I squeal and jump, whirling around to face the speaker. I take a look at my surroundings. I'm in a courtyard again…but it's not the same one. It's different. How do I know this? Well, there's a wooden post. …. And there's also a green man tied to it. And yes, I do say that as an after-thought. The post is much more interesting. Maybe.

If you are wondering why I called him a green man, no, he is not sick. But he does, in fact, have green hair. That's weird, but I'm guessing he's the one that spoke.

His cold, glaring eyes slowly look up to stare at me. There's a spark of wild will in his eyes, one that undeniably sends shivers crawling down my spine. Then, he opens his mouth to speak again.

"Who are you?"

* * *

Dun Dun Dun Duuuun.

End of Chapter 10.

Question of the chapter: If you were to describe each of the One Piece characters with one word, which word would it be?

Now if you read the message at the beginning, you better review. Please. I accept anonymous. If you've got concrit and don't want to say it to my face, then anon it. I don't care. I'll appreciate it all the same. If you're too lazy to review, just type on word reviews (thought they're not my favorites, I prefer them to nothing).

And to those of you who did review, I love you guys. A lot. You are ZEE BEZT.

Kudos to you.

REVIEW!


	12. Falling Statues

**Author's Note: **Hi peeps! I'm really happy today, cause a bunch of you munchkin's reviewed me! Hee hee, makes me so happy, I feel like squealing! SQUEAL!

Well, anyways...I updated on time this week! Why? Well, obviously because you guys reviewed me so much. Like I said, I was so happy. I was actually planning on putting out next week, but I put out this week cause I was so pleased.

Oh god, now I feel like I'm training you guys like you guys are my dogs or something. I'm like, okay, if you review, then you get a reward, so you better review or else I'll scold you! But..yeah, unfortunately (I love dogs) you guys are not my dogs, so...yeah. Ignore my mindless rambling. If you do not like dogs, or am offended by being compared to a dog, then you have issues. Uhh...ooops, ignore that last part. I meant to say, then I did not mean to offend you.

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

Read on. And Review. (Or face the imaginary consequences)

* * *

**Chapter 11**

I raise an eyebrow at the man."Who am I?" I repeat, staring incredulously at the strange man. Slowly, I begin to saunter up to him, closing the distance between him and me. I stop when I am right in front of him, staring directly into his face. Well, actually no, I'm not staring at his face. I can't be, because his face is hanging down with his chin on his chest.

I frown. That's very disrespectful- you know, not looking at me when I talk- but I guess I'll forgive this lowly man, seeing as he is tied to a post and looks very hungry, and let me to tell you, he does not look very comfortable.

He snarls. "Stop repeating my question. Answer it already."

My frown morphs into a scowl. "What? Why should I listen to you?" I snap, irritation tainting my words. Like, what the hell? Who is he to tell me what to do? Actually, who is _anyone_ to tell me what to do? Only I can tell myself what to do.

He sighs. "Then forget it. Leave."

My eyebrows rise so far I'm afraid they might disappear into my hairline. Whoa. Someone's not very friendly today, are they?

….Or maybe he's just jealous. Yes, jealous it is.

I open my mouth to speak. "But didn't you want to know who I am—

"I don't care."

It's silent for a while. Just me frowning angrily at him, and him with a shadow cast over his face, so I can't really see what he looks like.

Then, slowly, he lifts his head from his chest. The shadow slowly begins to retreat. The first thing I see is his grin- a smug, confident grin that just screams 'I-know-I'm-scary-and-more-awesome-than-you' at me. Then he lifts his face a bit more and his face comes into full view.

Brown, tanned skin contrasts greatly with his sea green hair. Three ear rings dangle from his left ear. A white shirt, gray from days of not washing, clings to his skin, drenched in sweat. His baggy, dark green pants puff out at the bottoms, and the ends are tucked messily into his heavy boots. Around his waist, a light green waistband is tied, comfortably wrapping around his muscled torso. His black eyes are narrowed into a glare.

"Get lost."

I stare at him, eyes wide like golf balls, and lips slightly parted..

He snarls as he realizes I haven't gone anywhere yet. "Get _lost,"_ he repeats with even more fervor than the time before.

I just stare.

"What the hell, woman?" he growls, his eyebrows furrowing. "I said, get lost."

A few seconds to silence pass, in which a gust of wind and a piece of tumbleweed roll by, before-

"….huh?"

-I snap out of my trance.

I tilt my head to the side and blink innocently at the green man before me. I really should stop spacing out. "Oh yeah," I say, scratching my cheek and frowning, "what were you saying again?"

He grits his teeth together. A vein bulges in his forehead. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, WOMAN? ARE YOU DEAF?" Small drops of spit splatter onto my face.

I twitch, feeling my face begin to heat up red with anger. "WELL, NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH ME UNTIL YOU CAME ALONG AND DECIDED TO _MAKE_ ME DEAF!"

"UNTIL_ I_ CAME ALONG?_ YOU_ WERE THE ONE WHO DECIDED TO COME ALONG AND DISTURB ME, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! HELL, ARE YOU BLIND TOO, WOMAN? CAN'T SEE THAT I'M TIED TO A POLE? I CAN'T MOVE!"

I huff and turn away from him, arms crossed against my chest. "Well, that's not my fault is it?" I roll my eyes. "I mean, it's your own fault for getting caught."

He growls, but doesn't say anything more. We lapse back into the tense silence, him glaring at the ground, and me staring at him curiously. His face is twisted into an irritated scowl, and I could swear he's biting his tongue to keep from snapping back at me. I narrow my eyes at him suspiciously. Is he hiding something? …Maybe the reason why he's tied to a pole? I decide to voice my questions.

"Hey," I say, breaking the silence.

"What?" he snarls. "I thought I told you to go away."

I frown and wrinkle my nose at him in distaste, but decide to ignore his annoying jabs at me on the premise that he is just jealous. "Well, I said I didn't want to. Besides, it's not like you can make me. " I roll my eyes again and place my hands on my hips, leaning forward. "Anyways, as I was going to say before you interrupted me,"—I pause here to huff in annoyance—"why the hell are you tied to a pole?"

He snorts. "Isn't it obvious? I'm a criminal."

"I already knew that, idiot," I scoff. I gesture towards the pole. "What I meant was, how did you get yourself caught?" I think back to the idiot Helmet-Hippo dude from before, and frown in distaste. "I mean, how did you get caught by the father of something like _that?"_

"Look, woman," he says, "it's none of your business."

I glare at him. "So?"

"You're annoying. Now get lost, before I kill you." He reinforces this statement with a fiery glare.

I stare at him for another second, just blinking at him, both shocked and peeved. Like, what the hell? I have no doubt he could probably kill me in seconds (unless my powers of awesome decided to save me, but with God hating on me and all that stuff, I don't think my luck is too great), but how is he going to do that when he's tied up? I mean, he freakin' said it himself. He can't move. And unless he has some kind of death-glare ability that allows him to spontaneously combust people when he glares at them, then…then…

I blink.

Death glare…

I blink again.

Death glare….

….

I gasp suddenly. "Oh my GODZ!"

"What?" the man snarls.

I stare at him wide-eyed, just gaping at him with my jaw wide open, caught up in my internal, panicked musings.

What if he ate a Devil's Fruit? What if that Devil's Fruit gave him the power of death glares?

"What?" he repeats, this time less ferociously and more genuinely curious.

I keep staring at him. What if he decides to kill me with it? My heart beats faster in my chest, and I start to sweat. What if I die?

Oh my gosh…I have to get out of here! But how? I glance around with frantic eyes. Okay, if only I can get to that gate over there, then I can get away… My eyes trail back to the evil, dangerous man with death-glare powers of doom. Now I just have to wait for the perfect timing…

Slowly, his glare morphs into a satisfied smirk. "If you're that scared I'm going to kill you, I suggest you leave now before—

I blink. Oh? He's letting me leave? Perfect. I better leave before he takes that back.

"Bye!"

And I'm out of there before he can even finish his sentence.

* * *

Zoro cocks his head to side, one eyebrow raised in a skeptical manner. "What was that about?"

He stares at where the short, black-haired, blue-eyed girl was standing just a moment ago and furrows his brow. "Strange woman."

He pauses and rethinks what he just said. "Or girl." His frown deepens. "Or woman." He groans. No matter how hard he thinks, he really can't tell how old that infuriating…female was. She was short and baby-faced, and from that he would have guessed her to be in her younger teen years, but her filled-out figure spoke otherwise. Well, his confusion is probably due to the fact that he hadn't paid much attention to what she looked like at all (he never does), but…

He scoffs and shakes his head to clear his thoughts. "Who cares? It's not like I'll ever see her again."

He stays silent, just staring blankly at the ground for a while, before he lets out a big yawn.

Zoro decides he needs a nap. Besides, it's not like there's much else he can do when he's tied to a pole and hasn't eaten in weeks. He sighs and closes his eyes, settling himself down for a nice, peaceful nap…

In mere seconds he is snoring.

…

…

….

It's a shame he gets awakened, mere moments later, by a straw-hat-wearing boy and his wimpy, pink-haired companion.

Zoro wonders if maybe god is real, and he is finally getting punished for not believing in him. He glances tiredly at the black-haired boy and his companion—or rather, just their heads, seeing as they are only peeking over the wall surrounding the courtyard. He wishes they would just shut up so he could get some sleep. But no, even after he tells them to get lost, the two boys keeps talking and talking and-oh, that stupid little girl came back again (why can't she just get the message that he doesn't want her there and leave him alone?), only to get thrown back out by that son-of-a-bitch blonde-haired dude.

Zoro really can't remember his name. But he really doesn't care either.

He sighs and licks his teeth, trying to rid his mouth of the taste of dirt, rice, and too much sugar. Man, he's thirsty. He wants water, but he still has to wait a little longer.

Just a little longer and then he'll be free, and become the world's greatest swordsman…

Hopefully then he won't have to worry about weird teenage boys and girls coming to bother him when he's trying to take a nap, and not going away when he threatens and glares at them.

Well, actually no, the girl did go away. Eventually.

But still, she _did_ wake him up from his nap.

Somehow the fact that she ran away bothers him even more. Is he really that scary? He pauses to contemplate that thought. Maybe…maybe not…

He sighs again and prepares to take another nap.

Why the hell does he even care?

Answer: he doesn't.

Two seconds later, he is interrupted yet again. He's irritated when he realizes it's the straw-hat boy again. Can't he just leave him alone already? There's no way Zoro's going to join his crew. He's going to be the greatest swordsman; he doesn't need some crappy pirate-wannabe getting in his way.

The straw-hat boy offers a deal to him—he'll get Zoro's swords, if Zoro will join his crew. Zoro contemplates for a second, then grins and agrees. Whatever. It doesn't matter. If the boy gets in his way then Zoro will just kill him anyways.

* * *

Luffy wants Zoro on his crew. He's already decided that. And he's not going to take no as an answer. Nope, no way. Not even if Leiko offered him a million tons of steak—not that Luffy thinks she ever would, but hey, he can always dream, can't he?

The black-haired straw-hatted boy laughs as he swings his rubbery arm round and round with one hand on his shoulder and other clenched into a fist. He doesn't care how much trouble it gets him in, but he just knows his first crew member—not counting Leiko, of course—is going to be Zoro.

Why does Leiko not count? Luffy's not sure. Maybe because he's going to make her his pirate queen. Or maybe because he's not exactly sure where she is right now. Probably not the last one. Even if Leiko wasn't in the same_ world_ she'd still be his crew member.

He vaguely wonders where she is and what she's doing while he stretches his arm out, grabs a random thing that is sticking out from the Marine Base, and propels himself up into the air. He's absolutely totally, one-hundred percent sure that he's going to see her again.

He's still thinking about her as the giant Morgan statue breaks in half and falls to the ground after he knocks it off balance.

But he fails to realize there is someone standing underneath the spot where that Morgan statue is bound to fall, one who looks suspiciously like the girl he is thinking about…

* * *

The only thing on my mind as I run is that there is no way I am going to get killed by someone with death-glare powers. That would have to be the lamest death ever—aside from dying to old age. Hell, I want to go out with BANG, man! I want to die of spontaneously combusting trash cans, or of evil monkeys with balloon bananas that are poisonous to eat (though who would want to eat a balloon? Well, maybe cause it's shaped like a banana…).

And thus the reason why I run.

…God, I never expected that green-haired man to have that sort of ability!

I only stop running when I'm sure I'm far enough away that that creepy man can't use his evil powers of death-glare to kill me. And, by the way, that' s pretty far. I mean, I ran out of the Marine Base courtyard, down some streets, past some really retarded restaurant, down some more streets, into some random person's house, out that same random person's back door, through some people's backyards, and down some random streets again and…

I place my hand over my thrumming heart as I attempt to slow my gasps. My legs buckle underneath me, my muscles burning from running for that long. Like, seriously, I swear I ran for hours. And normally I can barely run for minutes. Hey, I guess adrenaline really does do wonders, huh? Or maybe it's just my powers of awesome kicking in.

Well, anyways, I've got to see where I am. I mean, I ran around without knowing where I was going for the last few hours, and I really don't fancy being lost. Not that someone as awesome as me could ever be lost, but…

Okay, so maybe I do get lost sometimes. But that's not the point.

The point is that I really do need to look where I'm going when I'm running. I mean, what if I ran into a random house and into a bathroom where someone was showering? And what if they decided to take advantage of my lovely, youthful body and—

Oh wait, that actually isn't the point.

I sigh and close my eyes. Adrenaline and I really don't match…I can't think straight afterwards. Maybe it damages my brain?

My breathing begins to slow and my thoughts begin to become less muddled again. Taking one last, deep breath, I slowly open my eyes. The actual point was that I need to find out where I am, and I still do, so…

I lift my eyes and begin to take in my surroundings. Okay, there's a barbed wire fence over there, a barren courtyard over here, a big, tall metal wall behind me, and…

Holy. Shit-I mean, shiznit—I mean, oh god, who _cares_ about swearing when I'm in a situation like this?

Like, oh my god. I feel really stupid. Stupider than I've felt in a long time. And believe me, that is a really, really, really long time. Because when you see Luffy every day, you automatically get a self-esteem boost when you realize how much stupider he is than you.

And why do I feel so stupid right now?

Well, because naturally, with the way God hates me and all…

I'm right back where I started.

In the Marine Base courtyard. Well, at least it's not the one with that creepy green-haired man in it. Now, I'm just by the entrance courtyard where I ran into Helmet-Hippo what's-his-face.

Oh—and I forgot to mention this but…

There's a gigantic man-shaped statue falling from the top of the Marine Base.

Down.

Down.

Down to the ground—

The ground where I'm standing.

Crap crap crap.

I'm going to die.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I'm screaming at the top of my lungs, my heart beating like a hammer in my chest and my eyes wide and frightened as I stare up at the statue plummeting downwards. I try to will my legs to move, but they are frozen in their spot. Nice legs, just nice. Freeze up when I really need you to move, don't you? Makes me soo happy to know how much I love you. Not.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

You know, I really shouldn't panic. I mean, maybe if I don't panic then my legs will start moving again.

_Bang!_ A large piece of rubble falls to the right of me, just barely missing my shoulder.

Okay, you know what? Forget staying calm.

I'm going to die I'm going to die Oh I'm freakin going to DIE-

"-HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—

-DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE—

"—HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

I squeeze my eyes shut tight and tense myself for the impact that I know is coming. I slap my hand over my eyes, hoping this way I won't have to see death before it comes. I'm not sure how that makes any sense, but hey, who's going to question me when I'm dead? The angels? Or if I'm unlucky, the devils?

I feel bits of rubble raining down on me like a rock shower. I cringe and curl up into a fetal position, covering my head and eyes with my arms. I hide my head between my knees, loosen my jaw and scream, scream and just scream. I feel the air pressure above me weighing down, and the wind picking up as the gigantic statue plummets closer and closer to the ground. It's going to crash any minute now.

I try not to imagine what dying will be like.

It doesn't work.

My lungs begin to strain from the pressure, but I keep screaming anyways, louder and louder, because, for some reason I feel like the louder I scream the less fear I will feel.

_**BAM!**_

"-….hhh…..h….?"

…..

…

….

Huh?

I crack an eye open and cautiously peek out from behind my fingers.

I blink.

"I'm not dead…am I?" I mumble, my whole body trembling like a leaf.

I blink again and slowly remove my hands from my face, allowing them to drop back down to my sides.

"No," I whisper, shocked. "I'm not."

I'm not. I'm not dead. I'm freakin' not dead. I survived. I'm not dead.

I'm _alive._

My heart thumps twice in my chest.

How?

Eyes wide and mouth slightly parted, I dazedly glance around me, observing the changes around me.

Scattered around me in every direction are gigantic stone blocks, presumably chunks of hard granite from that statue. I cough lightly as a cloud of dust settles around me. I'm surrounded by a wall of the broken stone, encased around me in a sort of igloo shape. It's like being trapped in a stone tomb, only there is a slight hole above me where I can see the blue sky. The only space that isn't covered completely in rocks is where I am standing. If I hadn't known better I would have thought the rocks loved me and decided to magically hit anywhere expect where I was.

But I do. And I know that's not the truth, and I'm not even going to try to convince myself to believe it, since I already know it's really because of my Devil Fruit. Thank god for those things. It's a shame they don't grow on plants, or I would own a whole orchard of them. Oh well, when I become queen I'm going to own them anyways.

I laugh shakily and place a hand over my heart. One beat..Two beats…I close my eyes and just relish the feel of my heart's gentle thrumming against the palm of my hand. I still can't seem to get over the fact that I'm alive. I survived. I survived that gigantic falling statue.

I pretend I'm not curious as to why there was a gigantic falling statue in the first place. I blame it on Luffy. To my knowledge, he's not even on this island, but I swear I heard his voice yelling, and his rubbery arms snapping back into place before the statue broke and started to fall. Oh wait, I'm not supposed to be curious. Forget all of that.

…Anyways, I can tell the reason I didn't get crushed by pieces of that statue is all my doing—or at least _mostly_ my doing, because of the thick coating of dust that covers my hair and arms and turns me an ugly soot gray color. I must have used by Devil's Fruit power unconsciously to crush the rocks falling on me into tiny pieces that wouldn't hurt me as much. I look down at my arms—gray. At my clothes—gray. At my hair—gray. I grimace. Man, I look like a person from a black-and-white movie. Not cool, dude, not cool.

Well, at least I'm alive.

I squeak as a piece of rock above me crumbles and threatens to fall.

…At least, for now.

If this debris—igloo thing around me decides to cave in, like it looks like it will any moment now, then I'm done for. And damn, then the world will end because it won't have anything to revolve around. This is the moment where I do some cheesy speech about how I feel like the weight of the whole world is on my shoulders, but I really don't feel like it right now, so I think I'm going to just skip that part and move on now.

Right, moving on now. To more important things.

Like how the hell I'm going to get out of here.

I pause for a moment and just think. There are several ways for me to get out of here. One, is to use my Devil Fruit Power. Two, is to wait for someone to rescue me. Three is to crawl out. And four is to spend the rest of my life digging a hole out of here. Which option…which option…?

Well? What do you think?

One.

I roll my eyes at myself. Duh. Like seriously, the other choices are like, so stupid, I would never do them.

Besides, number one is the easiest. …kinda.

Sighing, I close my eyes and try to focus on my surroundings. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself and clear my mind. Then, I strain my ears and listen.

Crumbling rocks…

Talking…

Gunshots?

…I really don't want to know what's going on out there.

Ah damn, I just lost my concentration. I bite my lip, furrowing my brow and concentrate harder. I reach an arm out and gently tap a piece of rock beside me.

I listen to the sound. Muffled.

I frown. So the rock is thick, huh. Damn, that's not good for me. It's much easier to destroy thin rocks than hard, dense ones.

I sigh inwardly and tap the rock again. This time instead of listening to the first sound, I wait. I wait and wait and wait, my ears strained and my mind blank.

Finally, it comes back. And I hear it.

Three meters to the right of me is where the rock ends. That is where I will go.

I snap my eyes open and turn towards the rock to my right. For the second time today, I thank the gods for my Devil Fruit power. Echolocation rocks, it's like I'm Batman.

I'm standing in front of the rock. I'm staring at it. I'm trying to relax my body, and loosen my tense muscles. I close my eyes and let out a deep breath, and then clench my fists tightly. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly and focus…focus…focus…create it…amplify it…direct it…control it…get ready for it…

Now!

My eyes snap open and I reach out with my hands to touch the cool, smooth granite side of the rock. And I push. But I push not with my strength, nor with my muscles.

No, instead of that, I am doing something else. I am doing the impossible for normal civilians. I am pumping sound waves into the rock, feeling it vibrate, lowering the frequency until it is too low for a normal human to hear, and then…

I smirk as the rock begins to tremble violently. The ground shakes beneath me, almost like an earthquake.

And then…

_Bam!_

And the rock is gone, just like it. It crumbles into tiny pieces, so small they are like dust, blown away in the wind. One second I am trapped inside a mountain of rock, the next I am facing a gigantic opening, with rock dust piled up in a small mound around my feet.

I smile and walk out into the open. The second I step out of the broken statue remains, the whole thing collapses. The opening I created is instantly crushed and filled with another thick wall of granite.

I just stand and stare it uncomprehendingly for a few moments. And then…

"Whoa!"

I smile and laugh and cackle with joy. Adrenaline puts me on a high, along with the pride I feel from escaping that huge mess.

Remind me not to ever, ever_ ever_ stand under a broken statue. It will fall. I swear. And it's no fun. Not even for me. Believe it.

But for now…I'm just happy.

I turn around with my back to the pile of rubble and begin to skip away, completely oblivious to the large crowd of people that have accumulated around the ruins and are now staring wide-eyed at me with looks of both awe and fright.

I'm not really paying attention to them. I mean, I love attention and all, but seriously, no need to scream and faint (one woman did just that. No really, she did. I swear).

"I'm alive! I'm alive! I'm ALIVE!" I sing and laugh and twirl around down the streets. I'm covered from head-to-toe in gray dust and mud, but not even the dreary colors I am drenched in can bring my spirits down.

The thrill of living when I was convinced I was going to die has me giddy and happy and yet still somewhat shocked and scared, all at the same time.

I laugh, and laugh, and laugh as I wander the streets randomly. The sun has gone done a while ago, but I don't notice. I'm too happy to notice.

It's a shame my happy mood is ruined a little bit later when I spot Luffy with that creepy green-haired man talking inside a restaurant.

I freeze. Oh crap! Looking around frantically, I jump behind a big barrel in the back alley behind the restaurant and amplify the sound waves as they enter my ears so I can hear them clearer.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention there is a whole fleet of marines standing outside? My bad, I forgot about them because my amazing importance out-shined there's.

But still, it's kind of strange. I mean, seriously, what did Luffy do to already be noticed by marines? Punch Helmeppo boy in the face?

I narrow my eyes. Hey, wait a second…what if Luffy had something to do with the falling of that statue? I definitely wouldn't put it past him to do something like that…

Nah…no way. It was probably just a mistake or something...maybe.

"We're pirates!" I hear Luffy declare loudly.

I almost choke on my spit. I stare wide-eyed and flabbergasted through the window at the back of Luffy as he…punches some pink-haired wimpy guy in the face?

I frown. What the hell is going on in there? I feel a sudden temptation to stomp in there, pull Luffy out and demand he stop acting like an idiot. And I almost do.

But then I remember I already left him. And too bad so sad for him, but I'm not coming back. He's going to have to go on his stupid pirate-y adventures by himself. I rather like my sanity, thank you very much.

As I stand, turn and drag my suddenly lethargic body out of the alley, and towards the direction of the docks, there is a weight pulling down on my mind that has always been there, and yet has just now become noticeable.

And suddenly I realize with a gasp the reason why I am feeling so down as of recently.

I miss him.

I miss that little freak.

I miss Luffy.

I'm so confused. My head starts to hurt. My thoughts are all muddled up, and I can't think straight.

I don't understand. Since when did I start caring about him? Since when did I ever start getting used to his bratty little presence? Since when have I ever started liking it?

Since when have I ever thought of him as even remotely important?

It takes me a while to realize I'm at the docks. My feet have carried me a long distance while my mind laid in turmoil. These dutiful feet of mine come to a stop in front of the spot where my boat is…was…or rather…is supposed to be.

Because instead of my boat being there, there is another thing. Now, don't get me wrong, the boat is still there. There's just one thing wrong in this picture. Okay…no actually there are two.

First, why is there a fake treasure chest on the boat?

Second, …why…why…

I frown.

"Nali, Nani, Nami… orange-haired girl, or whatever the hell I'm supposed to call you—why the hell are you standing on my boat looking like I just caught you doing something very, very bad?"

* * *

End of Chapter 11!

Now, you guys better review. OR ELSE! I will hunt you down with my cat (no not my dog, my cat, yes, my cat) and then she will attack you with the attack of adorable over-sized kitty-cat eyes! (No really, the vet says my cat has unusually large eyes. I'm serious)

**Question of the chapter**: Does anyone have a nice OC story to recommend for me? I won't read it if I haven't watched/read the fiction for the fandom, though, so don't get offended if I don't read it. I'm also very picky (sometimes. depends on my mood). A list of SOME of my favorite fandoms are on my profile. Feel free to look. :)

Now, lots of you reviewed last chapter. You better keep reviewing. You better not stop reviewing once I stop yelling at you! ...I'm watching you...

REVIEW!


	13. Boat Theft

**Author's Note: ...**Hi.

...

...

AWKWARD...

Well, anyways, I actually got this chapter out on time! YAYZ! I am very proud of myself. But you guys should be proud of yourselves too, cause you guys reveiwed. Like, REALLY REALLY REALLY REVIEWED! I was SOOO happy! (and yes, all the caps are necessary. Because I SAID SO)

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda and Shounen Jump. I only own my OC.**

Keep reading and reviewing. Please. Please. Please.

Now onto the cookies.

...Uh...I meant the chapter. Yes, the chapter, (unfortunately) not the cookies. Sorry. I was thinking too much about cookies. Cause I love cookies. ...Yum.

* * *

**Chapter 12:**

"Nali, Nani, Nami… orange-haired girl, or whatever the hell I'm supposed to call you—why the hell are you standing on my boat looking like I just caught you doing something very, very bad?"

I feel an angry vein pulsating on my forehead and I lean over the slightly frightened orange-haired girl. "Yes," I continue, "something very, very bad."

She squeaks and tries to run away.

I smirk menacingly and step onto the boat. "Something bad, like, perhaps maybe…."

"Trying to steal my boat?"

Nami stares at the gorgeous black-haired, blue-eyed girl standing before her and wonders how the hell she's going to get herself out of this one.

"Hey, Nami," the girl says, or rather growls. "Give me back my boat."

* * *

Nami tries to remember the girl's name…Leiko, was it? Yes, it is Leiko. At least, that's what Nami thinks it is.

Leiko looms over Nami and glares at her furiously. On the outside, Nami laughs nervously and arranges the features of her face into that of a sheepish girl. On the inside, she is thinking, planning, calculating. How to get the girl off the ship and escape?

Just then, Nami hears voices. Two males. Out of the corner of her eye, she can just barely see that one is wearing a straw hat, and the other has moss green hair. But she doesn't dwell on these interruptions very long before snapping back to the black-haired girl. After all, she already has a problem before her. She doesn't need to make it worse by not paying attention.

But by the time Nami looks back at the black-haired girl, she's moved from her place. Well, not exactly. She hasn't moved, really, just changed positions. She's curled up the ground with her hands over her head, trying to hide.

Nami frowns at this behavior. Who is she hiding from? She watches Leiko as she peeks out of the corner of her eye and hesitantly looks towards the two men on the dock, climbing into their own boat. Them? Is the girl hiding from them?

Looking back at the girl curled up on the floor, Nami suddenly has an idea. The corners of her lips curl up in her trademark foxy smirk.

Kneeling down on the ground beside the hiding girl, Nami leans forward, taps the girl on her shoulder and whispers in her ear, "If you don't get off this ship right now, I'll reveal where you are to those two men over there your hiding from."

The girl's eyes snap up to Nami's, slightly alarmed, but then the girl seems to calm down, much to Nami's dismay. Instead of panicking and agreeing as Nami would have expected of her, she suddenly smirks a very smug smirk, one alike to the one Nami sometimes sees upon her own face. It's unnerving, you know, to see your expression worn on someone else's face.

But Nami quickly recovers. She narrows her eyes at the smug girl, who somehow, either unconsciously or consciously, manages to emit a constant, almost overwhelming aura of self-confidence. Nami doesn't like this girl very much. Somehow this girl makes her nervous. Being around her is uncomfortable.

Nami doesn't like her.

The girl looks at Nami with her all-too egotistical eyes, and when she catches Nami in a staring contest, Nami has to force herself not to back down. Those large, sapphire eyes scare Nami. They offer an amount of insight that no one should possess. They see too much, and yet too little at the same time. It is like those eyes see straight through Nami. They make her feel transparent, almost. It's as if those eyes are not seeing her at all, and yet seeing her, still, too.

Unsettling. This girl is unsettling.

Nami tries to focus again. The girl has withdrawn from the staring contest and is now staring at Nami in a puzzled sort of way, and yet somehow mocking at the same time. A spark in her eyes tells Nami that she is perhaps ridiculing her in her thoughts. Nami feels anger bubbling up inside of her, but swallows it down and instead concentrates on how she is going to escape.

Nami is absolutely sure this girl will not succumb to threatening of revealing her to the two men. She's too confident for that. So she will have to go for something different.

She eyes the black-haired girl closely, scrutinizing her. She's a petite girl, who, to Nami, looks as if she has absolutely no muscle. Certainly Nami could take her on in a brawl and win, right?

Right. Nami has lots of experience.

So why is she suddenly doubting herself? Is it because the girl seems so confident? So unyielding?

Nami grits her teeth together and shakes her head to clear her thoughts. It doesn't matter. Right now, all she has to focus on doing is getting the girl off the boat, so Nami can make away with the stolen ship.

She glances over at the two men the girl is still hiding from, but while Nami and the girl have been facing-off, the two men have already started sailing off. Internally, she groans. She's just lost her upper-hand. At least when the two men were there she had something to threaten Leiko with.

What will she do now?

As Nami stares at the girl, who still looks to be thinking quietly to herself, she suddenly has an idea. A great one. Well, not exactly—any person with half a brain could have figured it out, but still. Nami takes pride in her quick-witted mind.

"Hey, girl," Nami says.

The girl jumps out of her reverie, startled. When she lands back on her feet, her heels slip out from underneath her and she goes crashing down to the dinghy floor on her back. Her head painfully makes contact with the floorboards, making a hollow sound that reverberates through the whole boat.

Nami blinks once, then twice, then bites back a cackle. What the hell was she doubting herself for? This girl falls over nothing. How is she going to win against Nami like that? Nami could just sucker punch her in the stomach like she was planning on in the hallways of the Marine base and be off with it. The first time she tricked Nami must have been a fluke. After all, no one tricks Nami.

No one tricks the fox.

…Except for another fox.

Nami refocuses her attention back on Leiko, who is now rubbing the back of her head painfully and swearing under her breath.

"So," she begins.

Leiko looks up at her then, frowning. "So?"

Nami smirks. "I'll make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?" She narrows her eyes suspiciously at Nami.

Her smirk grows. "A good one."

Leiko rolls her eyes up to the sky and snorts. "I'm not going to fall for that." Then she looks back at Nami and says, with her usual air of confidence, "For you or for me?"

Nami frowns. "What?" She doesn't understand what the girl is saying.

Leiko laughs. "Is it good for you or for me?" She pauses, thinking, then adds, almost as an afterthought, "or for both of us, I suppose." She sneaks a look at Nami before continuing. "Though I highly doubt that."

Nami bites down on her tongue and tries to beat down her feelings of anger and frustration. Why can't this girl just go along with it already?

Glaring at the girl, Nami hisses out her next words. "Well why don't you say that after I tell you the deal?"

Leiko looks surprised at the sudden change in Nami's demeanor, but quickly calms down and answers, "Well," she begins, "why don't you tell me the deal now, then?"

Nami growls, but leans back and decides the girl is right. "The deal I propose to you is," she stalls to let her eyes flicker to Leiko's curious, prying eyes, and then back, "that you will allow me to share your boat with you—

Leiko snorts and rolls her eyes. "No way—

Nami holds up her hand to cut her off. Unfortunately, this fails and the girl keeps talking anyway, so Nami decides she's just going to talk over her. "No, let me finish."

The girl keeps talking.

Nami grits her teeth and continues, "I'm going to offer you a deal—

"I said I don't WANT a deal—

"No you didn't—

"Yes I did—

"Listen to m—

"Stop telling me what to do, b—

"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" And with that, Nami simply can't take it anymore, jumps to her feet, and punches the girl in the head.

The girl clutches at her head and moans. "Ow…" She glares up at Nami. "What was that for? Are you trying to kill me?"

Nami feels her anger slowly dissipate. Gosh, a good punch does wonders for anger management. She smiles nervously and laughs, as if regretful. But really, she's not. Seriously, why would she regret that? That had to be one of the most satisfying things she's ever done. "Sorry." Not.

Leiko glares at her harder, and somehow Nami just knows that Leiko can see through her lie. Damn. But Leiko just smiles sickeningly sweetly and says to her, "Yeah, sure. You better be for punching the future queen of the freakin' world in the head, _bitch_."

Yes, and that is how Nami and Leiko end up in a catfight, in which Leiko (who was so angry she forgot she had a Devil's Fruit power and promptly did not use it) slaps Nami, Nami (beign her usual smart and tricky self) jumps on Leiko, intent on using their weight difference to her advantage, and Leiko's petite frame gets squashed under Nami's weight.

Needless to say, this fight goes very well for Nami, and not very well for Leiko. Well, if there's someone on the lucky side, it goes to say there must be someone on the unlucky side as well.

Ah…poor Leiko—or not.

Nami just got herself a huge black eye. Ouch.

And now they're talking it out? What the hell? What kind of weirdo's are these two girls?

….How about we blame it on PMS?

* * *

Zoro is sleeping.

Well, actually, no not really. He's not sleeping. But he's trying—he really is. He just has a hard time sleeping when he hears a lot of screaming and yelling and swearing coming from another boat slowly drifting away from the dock at a snail's pace. Of course, he's far away from them, so far away he can barely see the boat in the distance, but they are close enough for Zoro's keen ears to pick up. And man, they are annoying.

And familiar.

Yes, there's something oddly familiar about one of those voices.

Zoro snores loudly and rolls onto his side. He's pretending to sleep even when he's not, because Luffy won't bother him if he thinks he's sleeping. Well, no, Zoro's pretty sure Luffy will bother him anyways, but maybe it will lower the chance of it happening.

Someone screams again.

The familiarity of the voice bothers Zoro. He knows that voice form somewhere, he just can't remember where…

And then, suddenly it all clicks into place. With a startling jolt of realization, he bolts into a sitting position, grabs the discarded oars and began to row as fast as he can away from that boat.

"Zoro?" Luffy asked.

Zoro ignores him and rows faster. He doesn't want to tell the Luffy the reason that he looks so terrified is because he does not want to meet that crazy black-haired, blue-eyed girl that annoyed the hell out of him earlier that day.

Zoro really does not like woman. God, was she annoying! He hopes he never has to meet her again.

So, Zoro rows and rows and rows, and ignores Luffy, and rows some more.

And he doesn't stop rowing until he's sure he's far enough away that damn girl will never catch up to him.

* * *

I yawn loudly and roll over onto my side. My elbow props up my head as I look down at the boring floorboards and begin to trace pictures on them with my fingers.

"Stop yawning," Nami snaps irritably.

I roll my eyes. "Gee, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"Shut up."

"No."

Don't you just love our intelligent arguments?

…don't you just love the taste of my sarcasm?

Yes, I'm sure you do. Everyone loves me and everything about me—as long as they're not jealous, like Nami. God, she is like, so annoying. She's always ordering me around and stuff, and like, no one is supposed to do that. When I'm queen, I am so going to have her exiled to the moon. Wait no, I'm going to own the moon to, so that's no good. I could send her to the end of the world, but what if I wanted a castle there? Then what? Gosh, I just want to send her to a place where I'll never see her again. Why does my life have to be so complicated?

"…Where are we going?" I ask monotonously.

Nami grits her teeth together, and I smirk as I realize I am irritating her even more. Ha, take that, bitch. I hope you learn not to be so bitter anymore. Instead of being jealous, people should idolize me. Like, seriously, it makes me happy, it'll make you happy, so in the long run, we're all happy! Now wouldn't the world be just, so peachy if we all decided to admire me?

"Where are we going?" I repeat when she doesn't answer.

"I already told you."

"Tell me again."

"No," she snaps.

It's silent. Then I ask again, "Where are we going?"

Why? Well, because I know I'm making Nami angry. And I really don't like her. Making her angry makes her miserable, so even if she punches me again, it will be worth it. I think.

"Where are we going?" I say one last time.

"Leiko," she grinds out.

I blink innocently at her. "What?"

"STOP ASKING THE SAME QUESTION OVER AND OVER AGAIN!"

Ah. Just the reaction I was looking for.

I jump to my feet and push my face up in hers, replying with just as much ferocity, "YEAH, WELL YOU STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!"

"Why should I?" she asks slyly.

I smile sweetly. "Because I said so."

She rolls her eyes. "What kind of reason is that?"

Bitch…

"A better reason than someone like you could ever think of."

She snarls. "Why you…"

My smile grows. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

Suddenly, Nami seems to see something, for her attention momentarily drops off of me, and to another object behind me. Just as I turn to look at it, her attention switches back to me, and she says, "No."

I frown at her, confused. "What the hell? Are you, like, bipolar or something?"

To further my puzzlement, she ignores that jab to her attitude, and instead lifts her hand to point to the thing behind me, whatever it is. "Look behind you, there's a boat with people on it."

I am just about to turn and look, before I realize there is something insanely suspicious, not to mention cliché about this trick. I narrow my eyes at her and cross my arms. "No way am I falling for that trick."

Her eyes widen. "No really, there is!"

I snort. "No there isn't."

"Yes there is!"

I stare at her for a long, long time, scanning her face for a sign of deceit. But not one trace of a liar do I find, and so, sighing doubtfully, I slowly, hesitantly turn to look for a boat.

"Oh!" I say in surprise, my eyes widening. "There is one!" I smile and being to twist my neck around to see Nami. "So you were telling the tru—

I turn around to face Nami, but instead of her face, all I see is a heavy oar coming down towards me, and then it all goes black.

* * *

Nami sighs as she steps back to admire her handy-work.

Before her, Leiko is lying unconscious, tied up in the strongest rope Nami could find in her little stash that she always carried around in her…bra. Yes, bra, Nami carries everything in her bra.

Well, anyways…Nami sighs and looks out at the horizon, where she can see the other boat is only a couple of yards away. She squeaks and starts to hustle around, hastily setting her trick up. Damn, she didn't think they would get here so fast.

By the time the other dinghy had arrived by Nami's boat, everything is changed. Leiko is nowhere to be seen, Nami's favorite fake treasure chest is displayed in the corner of the boat, and Nami is leaning over the side of the boat trying to look as tired, worn-out, and sexy at the same time. And yes, for Nami it is possible to be all those things at the same time. Nami tries to always look sexy no matter what she does. She likes it, and also it helps fool with those stupid men's minds. It's a handy trick for someone in Nami's profession.

How nice it is to be naturally pretty.

"Can you please give me some water?" Nami asks as the other boat pulls up alongside hers. She gestures sluggishly towards the fake treasure chest in the corner. "I'll give you as much treasure as you want."

The three men smirk, stumble off of the boat and saunter their way towards the treasure chest. Nami smirks as they start to fiddle with lock.

"I got it!" the man exclaims as the lock clicks open. The treasure chest flies open, but instead of treasure, there's a…beautiful tied-up girl inside?

The three men's heads swivel around to interrogate the orange-haired woman, but when they turn back, she's not there anymore.

No, she's not on her boat anymore, she's on there's. And she's smirking, and waving, and sailing away too fast for them to catch up.

"If you want, you can keep it all! That boat and annoying girl included!" she yells smugly.

It suddenly dawns on them that they've been tricked. "Hey!" they all cry. "Come back!"

She laughs at their desperate faces, then turns to look at the clouds approaching. "There are some dark clouds coming from the south. When it hits that low pressure area, a storm will develop. All small boats on the ocean should watch out."

Alarmed, the three men glance up at the darkening sky above them. A torrent of rain suddenly befalls upon them. The sky rumbles with thunder and streaks of lightening flash across the sky. The waves grow strong and angry, tossing the boat around like a toy. The men scream, and yell, and slide around on the tilting boat, and then, just one more wave hits them and the boat capsizes, flinging all four (three awake Buggy pirates, and one very unconscious teenage girl tied-up and stuffed inside a treasure chest) into the ocean to fend for themselves.

Nami grins triumphantly at this sight. "Bye bye!" she calls. She watches them for a few more seconds, then turns around and laughs merrily as she sails away into the distance. She smirks to herself. Man, she is a total genius. Putting that girl in the treasure chest to be rid of her, avoiding those other pirates, and stealing an even better boat. All in a couple moves. She didn't just kill two birds with one stone—she killed three.

Sometimes Nami just loves herself.

* * *

Back where the three men and the girl are, the girl (who just so happens to be a very groggy Leiko) finally awakens to find herself floating inside an open treasure chest in the middle of the ocean, with three angry men staring at her in the face.

Fun, fun….right?

No.

* * *

End of Chapter 12.

Hm. Lots of POV changes, huh? I would ask you if you like them, and I am quite curious(being the nosy author I am), but don't expect me to get rid of them. I quite like writing them, even if they sound and read like crap. So too bad for you if you don't like them, because they help me improve my writing in third-person. But you tell me anyways. You MUST tell me if you do not like them. Why? Well, because I said so. And because feedback is good for improving on my writing. ...But mostly because I said so. Because that's such an amazing reason. (See, this is what you get for picking a story with such a bratty author to read. Are you regretting your choice yet? Well, I sure hope not. I will be very disappointed in you if you said yes. Tsk. Tsk. Shame on you)

Right.

Anyways, question of the chapter: **Did I portray Nami/Zoro/Luffy's characters correctly? If not, then why, and what can I do to make them less OOC?**

I'll let you guys go now, but one last thing before you go...

**REVIEW!**

_**Or else...**_

*Cackles evilly in the background*


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